Only Hope
by TheInkredibleHanny
Summary: First NW story for me! : Jess has been pulled into the nightworld. Original NW characters are in here, R&R PLEEEASEEEE!
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note!: Kay, so... this is a little story I made up for the Night World lovers like me! There's going to be original characters in here, I give you my garaunteee! And I'll spice it up a little. If you have a Night World character that you made up, I'll put him in here, if the character fits! If the character's in a story, you can send me the story and I'll give you credit for it! I love giving credit! And you guys can suggest, love, or hate anything you want in this first chapter, I'll take whatever you give me. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!(:**

Chapter One.

I narrowed my eyes as I talked to the predator. "You may have hypnotized my whole family and drank their blood, but you don't have that effect on me."

The bloodsucker smiled slightly, baring two pointed fangs that seemed to glisten in the sparse light of my kitchen.

"I understand that you would like to drink my blood, but I'm afraid it won't be that easy." I made a slow, cautious step to my right. He didn't move, just smiled slightly at me still. "Because I happen to be..." I sucked in a deep breath. "a witch!" I cried as I scooped the vampire up into my arms and tickled him.

"Hey, go easy on him, Jessie! Do you know how long it took to get those fangs in?" my mom, Louise, said reproachfully as she walked into my kitchen, carrying a plastic cauldron full of candy. Louise wasn't really the type of person that loved to go all out for holidays, and I respected that. She was tall and thin, with strait blonde hair and big blue eyes. She was a dancer back in the day, like I am now.

"Awh, relax, mom!" I said ruffling the little vampire's hair. He smacked at my hand and laughed.

"Twenty bucks on the vampire," my step dad, Frank called lazily as he walked into the kitchen. Frank was wearing his normal attire, jeans and a T-shirt. He had a lot of hair for a thirty-three year old, but he kept his black locks cropped short.

I pursed my lips. "I don't know, Hugh can't be _that_ strong. I am a witch, you know." I smiled as little Hugh squirmed restlessly in my arms.

"Hughie's three and could take you, Jess." Frank looked serious. "You're a twig, kid. Do you _eat?_"

I rolled my eyes. "Sorry I have a figure to watch out for, Frank. I work all of the food off."

"Figure to watch," Frank muttered under his breath.

Hughie grabbed a lock of my long dark brown hair, in waves tonight, and tugged.

I looked down at the little tyrant. He had dark blue eyes that seemed to know what you were thinking and were almost depthless. His black hair was longer than most two year olds, but it suited his little round face. Hughie tugged once more, growing impatient.

"All right, all _right_," I said with a laugh. "You can be so bossy sometimes, mister!"

"Vampire!" Hughie exclaimed, though it sounded more like "Vampiyo!"

"Okay, mean little vampire, down you go. Try not to eat too much candy, mom will kill you."

"Rawr!" Hughie exclaimed as he ran out of the room. I watched as he ran out with a small smile on my face.

"That boy sure is something," I said to myself. He was too cute for his own good.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Hughie's the only man you need in your life," Frank said looking after Hughie also.

I acted like I didn't hear that comment, that was a fathers dream. Not having the hormones kick in until you're out of the house. "Well, I'm gonna go get ready," I said walking out of the kitchen and through the living room to my room. My house was small, but I liked it. It had class.

I walked into my room and tried to get through all of the clutter. Unlike my mother, I was _not_ organized. Clothes were thrown all over my bed, along with shopping bags and a couple of laundry baskets with clean clothes. I slid on my witches costume. It looked like a black tutu, but there were neon green ribbons zigzagging down the top to make it look like a sort of corset. The ends of the tutu part were the same color of neon green as well.

I walked into the bathroom to do my hair and makeup. Smoky eyes- a must- were actually easier for me to do because I practiced doing my makeup all the time. I bought green extensions to put in my hair as well. I took a long look at myself in the mirror before starting. I looked nothing like Hugh, though my mom says the resemblance is shocking considering we have different fathers.

My real dad is long gone, but I don't really care. All he and my mom would do is fight when they were together, and all he would do is drink when he was alone. I grew up watching it. I do get a glimpse of him every time I look in a mirror though. The dark brown hair, the brown eyes, the sharp angled cheekbones. That was all from him.

I did my makeup and placed my extensions carefully in to make it look like the tips of my long waves were neon green. I checked myself over in the mirror once more, Frank was right, I was a twig. It was in a good way though. I wasn't scary-skinny, and I definitely didn't have an eating disorder.

"Jessie! Michael's here!" my mom called into my room. She probably thought that I was still changing.

"Okay!" I called back. "I'll be right out!" I pulled on a pair of black tights and a pair of black point shoes from an old recital and ran out to the front door.

And there was Michael waiting for me. "Hey," he said with a nod. "You look good."

"Thanks," I said looking over what Michael was supposed to be. He was wearing white pants, a white shirt with a white jacket over. The white shoes he had on must have been his dad's. No way on earth would Michael have bought those. Michael has been my best friend since kindergarten. We did absolutely everything together. So, by some mystical best friend bond, we could always tell when something was wrong. Michael was also the most handsome boy I had ever met. He had golden blonde hair and golden eyes to match. He was in great shape, I'm pretty sure last time I counted he had at least an eight-pack. His skin was tan, despite it being October. "Yeah, you look good, too," I said and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

He understood why. "I'm a Pimp. My cane and fur coat and sunglasses are in the car."

I laughed. "How creative."

Michael smiled. "Always am." He held out an arm. "You ready?"

I hooked my arm with his. "Yeah, lets go." As we walked out of the house, I called goodbye to my family. I only heard a faint "rawr" from Hugh in reply.

Michael Stradford's car was a white jeep, very fitting for a sports jock like him. I climbed in and put my seatbelt on. Although I was seventeen, I didn't have a car, I never really needed one. My mom was home enough for me to use hers if there was ever an emergency. Most of the time Michael drove me around, because wherever I went, so did he. He even came to some of my dance practices to prove it. Michael got in behind the wheel and started the car. Immediately the music started playing. Kill Hannah. I hummed along with the song.

"We're gonna be a little late," Michael said staring at his clock. It was 7:16 pm. "Johnny's gonna be mad." Michael smiled. He was probably looking forward to the fight. No, probably not. Michael _never_ fought. He was too gentle.

"Why would he be mad?" I asked. I was pretty sure we weren't the only ones going to be fashionably late to Johnny Nichol's Halloween party.

"Cause if you're late, he won't get to spend as much time with you."

I rolled my eyes. I thought Johnny had gotten over me. I guess not. The thing was, I never really dated. Sure, guys asked me out, but not _the_ guy. The guy that I have been waiting for ever since kindergarten. I sighed. Apparently Michael didn't get the hints. I spotted something in the cup holder just than. I gasped. "That's where my glitter went!" I picked up the small case and opened it. "I was looking all over for this!"

Michael smiled. "I was gonna give it to you, but I sort of forgot."

I smiled. Michael was pretty forgetful. I pulled down the visor in the front seat and flipped the mirror open to put some glitter on.

The brown eyes of my father were staring back at me. I put the glitter down and closed the mirror. I hadn't thought about my father in a while now, not since Frank came along a few years ago and brightened our lives immensely. Especially with Hughie. They both helped.

"What's wrong?" Michael asked, looking over at me with a look of concern. See? I told you the whole best friend bond thing was creepy.

"Nothing," I said shaking my head. "I've just been thinking about my dad a lot lately."

Michael's hands tightened on the steering wheel. I'm sure he was thinking of the same memories that came flooding into my mind at that instant. Late night calls from me to Michael, crying. Me running away to Michael's when things got too out of hand. Michael checking me over, a habit at the time, for any new bruises, asking where my dad hit me. We were stopped at a stop sign now. Michael took a deep breath. "That alcoholic son of a-"

_"Michael!"_

Michael turned to face me. "Don't think about him, Jess. He doesn't deserve an ounce of your thoughts. He's gone now and he won't bother you ever again." I knew if Michael had the chance, he would kill my dad. No matter how caring or gentle Michael was, he always loathed my father with a hate that was even surprising to me. Michael was always with me, so most of the time he was there to protect me. He had taken countless hits from my dad for me, and I would be forever grateful.

"I know, Michael-"

"Do you?" Michael asked, taking his hands off of the wheel. "Jessica Parks, Do you realize how hard I've tried to get you to forget him?" He took my hands in his and stared into my eyes, his golden ones scorching.

"I can't forget him," I whispered. "He's everywhere. My nightmares, my scars, my _mirror_." I shook my head, trying to fight back tears. "I see him in the mirror, Michael. In my eyes. He's mocking me."

"Oh, Jess," Michael whispered, pulling me into his arms. "You may have gotten the color of eyes from him, but they aren't _his_ eyes. Please try to grasp that."

"I don't want to end up like him," I whispered.

"You won't." He pulled back and smiled. "As long as I'm around, I won't let you."

I smiled back.

"Now, don't think about him, lets try to have fun tonight." He smiled a winning smile and started to drive again.

Michael was right, Johnny was mad that we were late, but didn't show it as much as I expected him to. Maybe he was in too much of a party mood to be really peeved.

Michael was immediately swallowed up by a crowd of girls, as usual. I was used to it. I was even part of the act sometimes. I didn't feel like it right now. I walked to the group of people dancing in the huge basement and joined them.

I loved dancing. The music simply swept me away of all worries and I let my legs take themselves away with the beat. I closed my eyes and let myself feel the music. And than a pair of familiar arms were around me. I didn't open my eyes, but changed my stance so that I was swaying with my partner, not dancing solo anymore.

"What happened to my bait?" Michael asked me, whispering in my ear.

"I thought I would play hard to get for once," I replied with a laugh.

Michael laughed too. "Well, that works, too."

I was considered "bait". I acted like Michael's date, getting even more girls to notice him and want to talk to him. I didn't know why though. Michael told me because they were extremely jealous because someone as good looking as me was with someone as good looking as him. It didn't exactly make sense, but it worked, none the less. I turned to face Michael.

A slow song had come on now and only couples were on the dance floor. I recognized the song almost instantly. "R.E.O Speedwagon?" I asked.

"Hell, yes, R.E.O," Johnny said coming up to Michael and I. "You wanna dance?" he asked.

I threw my arms around Michael. _You better not let go_, I told him in my head, I hoped he understood.

His arms tightened around me. "Sorry," Michael said. "I already called every slow song with Jess tonight."

I sighed silently in relief and rested my head on Michael's shoulder. "Thanks," I breathed as Johnny walked away angrily.

"Anytime." He laughed. "You owe me."

"I owe you for so much I'm practically going to give you a lifetime of servitude for payment," I mumbled. It was true.

"Hmmm..." Michael seemed to process this. "Sounds tempting. I might just take you up on that offer."

There were no more slow dances after that, I had the feeling that Johnny had something to do with that. Like clockwork, Michael was surrounded by girls in no time. I was walking back from the drink stand when someone caught my eye. He was a boy. Very tall and lean and _pale_. His hair was curly and bright orange. I was sure I had never seen him before. And he looked... _scared_. But that look faded as he searched the room. After one quick sweep over the room, he was actually smiling. No one seemed to be paying attention to him at all. Until a girl began to make her way across the floor and towards the boy.

I had never seen this girl either. She was tall and pale, but not scary pale, she pulled it off. She had long blonde hair that was expertly curled and styled. She was dressed as a gypsy girl. With a well put together outfit and bracelets on her wrists and ankles. She smiled at the red haired boy and led him through a door in the room across from me.

The red haired boy followed without hesitation. Of course he did, she's gorgeous.

So why I started across the dance floor and through the door that they went to was beyond me. I guess intuition was leading me on, every step I took a little siren in my head would go off telling me of how dangerous this was, though I didn't know why.

The door led to a bedroom, but there was no one in it. And than I noticed the two French doors swung open wide and led to a set of stairs.

I raced up the stairs and looked around. I was now in Johnny's back yard. It was bigger than a football field, by a lot. I sighed. I had no idea where they had gone. But than I heard the boy screaming, and ran in that general direction. The siren in my head was so loud now that it was giving me a headache.

I saw the group of people forming in the dark field. There seemed to be four of them, three against one. I saw red hair and knew who that one was.

I took a deep breath and inched closer. There was hardly any cover in the backyard so I went about as close to hear them, and that's as far as I dared.

"You have the wrong person!" the red haired boy snarled.

"So let me guess, you were at a vermin high school party just for the hell of it?" a boy said. He was tall, but that's all I could tell about him. The three were silhouetted in the dark, the only thing that stood out were hair colors. Two blonde, one darker- I couldn't tell exactly how much darker, and one red. "You've got to be an idiot for thinking we would buy that trash."

"But it's true!" the red haired boy exclaimed.

"Where's your costume?" the blonde gypsy girl asked. "You stuck out like a sore thumb in there."

I had unconsciously crept up closer as the conversation went on. The two blondes were in costumes. The girl as a gypsy, the boy- looking almost exactly like the girl- was dressed as a pirate. The boy, who I now realized had long midnight black hair, was wearing jeans and a black T-shirt.

"I have a costume," the red-haired boy said with a small smile on his face. And than, in a split second, I was being pulled up and dragged painfully by the arm. "How about blood thirsty vampire?" the boy asked. I winced as he dug his nails into my arm.

"Oh my God," the blonde girl hissed.

"Stupid Vermin!" the blonde boy muttered.

The other boy just stood rigid, ready to fight.

"Hello, darling," the red head whispered to me.

"Ew," I muttered and tried to wriggle free from his grasp. "Don't touch me. _Let go of me!_"

The boy laughed. "I'm going to have to. You're saving my life right now." He turned and looked at the three standing before him. "How about this: I might let the human live, if you let me free."

"I don't like the _might_ part," I whispered.

"Neither do we," the boy in the black shirt said. "No deal." He was slowly inching his hand toward his belt, which I realized were holding weapons.

"Oh, God," I whispered. "You're all crazy." I was sorry I ever followed the two out here in the first place. Stupid, stupid me!

"Don't be like that," the red haired boy said. His hand went to my hair and pulled my head backward. "I tell you what, I'll make this quick."

"I said _don't touch me_!" I screamed and turned to kick him in the shins- _hard_. The wood of my point shoes connected with his shin and make him shout in pain. I stumbled backwards and out of his grip. Six hands caught me as I fell, than four disappeared.

I looked up to see the boy with hair the same color as the night sky staring ahead of him, searching for something. I moved out of his grip and stood up.

"Clane, Anne!" he called. The two blondes appeared.

"He's gone, Kace," Anne said, shooting me a look between hate and disgust.

Kace scowled. "That's a first." He sighed. "Guess we'll have to hunt him down again when he comes back out of hiding." He smiled, as if anticipating the challenge.

I shuddered. "You guys- what?- just go around _killing_ people!?" I exclaimed, taking a step away from the three beautiful psychos.

"What?" Clane asked. "You think that thing was _human_!?"

"Shut up, Clane!" Anne hissed.

"What else is there? There's human and human and human..." I trailed off. There was no point talking sense into lunatics.

"That _thing_ was a vampire. This isn't a world with just humans, little girl." The blonde boy looked like he wanted to hit me.

"I'm just as old as you, _little boy_. Don't call me that unless you want a stick shoved down your throat." Kace actually seemed to smile a little at that. He had a nice smile when it wasn't menacing.

Clane glared at me. "I say we kill the human and go back to headquarters."

Anne seemed to agree.

Kace didn't. "We can't just go around killing people. Like this girl said."

"She knows too much, thanks to Clane's big mouth," Anne said. "And I don't think she's the-" A stern look from Clane that seemed to carry the message "Who has the big mouth now?" in it shut Anne up about what she was just about to say. She shrugged. "There's no other choice."

"Mind control." Kace didn't really need to add on _you idiot_, it was as if he stamped it on Anne's head with those two words.

Clane sighed. "Fine. Give me a sec." He closed his eyes as if concentrating very hard on something. A vein on his forehead bulged.

Nothing happened. "Okay, I'm sorry I interrupted your little crazy-party," I said backing away. "I'm leaving now."

"It didn't work," Clane said, sounding annoyed and surprised at the same time.

Anne shrugged. "Looks like we have to kill her," she said sweetly, cracking her knuckles.

I opened my mouth to say something, but the sound of running footsteps shut me up.

"Jess! Jess Parks! Jess, where the hell are you!" It was Michael.

I couldn't open my mouth to sound a reply. My voice was stuck in my throat. And than I saw him.

He breathed a sigh of relief and ran up to me. I was immediately in his arms. "You scared me half to hell, Jess!" he whispered in my hair. His arms tightened around me.

"Um, sorry," I replied. I turned to look at the three that were just discussing how to kill me.

Like a kick to the gut, the air washed out of me. They were gone. Not a trace of them left behind. So maybe _I_ was the one going crazy. "Oh, God," I whispered as my knees collapsed.

Michael caught me, like he had trained to catch fainting best friends before tonight. I regained my balance. No, I wasn't going crazy. I swore I wouldn't be like my father. I pushed myself out of Michael's arms. "No, no, _no_!" I screamed. "There were three- three _people_ here!" I was getting angry now.

"I didn't see anyone, Jess-"

"Michael!" I was on the verge of tears. "They were going to kill a boy... and than they were going to kill me!" I shook my head when Michael tried to take me back into his arms.

"We should tell the police..." Michael was looking around, as if trying to believe me.

I sighed. "No. That wouldn't do any good." I felt dizzy. "Can you take me home?"

Michael nodded, looking anxiously at me. "Yeah, lets go." He waited until I was next to him to start walking himself.

When Michael pulled the car up to my house he took in a deep breath. "I-" he started, but I put a hand over his mouth.

"Save it, Michael. I'm sorry I freaked out back there. I must be seeing things. I've been so paranoid lately," I gave a weak laugh.

Michael moved my hand away from his lips. "I just worry about you, Jess. Really, you're all I ever worry about. And now you say that people want to kill you-"

"They didn't _want _to kill me," I interrupted. I reconsidered. "Well. Clane and Anne wanted to, but I don't think Kace wanted to get his hands dirty."

"They had names?" Michael asked in disbelief.

I quickly tried to cover up. "That's why it all seemed so real. They had names and characteristics and voices...." I was staring off into space. "Michael, you said you wouldn't let me end up like this."

Michael looked like _he_ was about to lose his mind. "I- no, don't say that, Jess- you won't- I mean you aren't-"

I sighed and closed my eyes, breathing in the cologne-ish smell of Michael's car. "I know you won't, Michael. I think I just need some sleep."

"Yeah, sleep," Michael whispered. His voice sounded strained. "Sleep will help."

I laughed. "'Night, Michael, thanks for the party."

"I'm pretty sure Johnny will be mad you didn't say goodbye to him when you left." Michael sighed. "Good. That guy's a jerk."

"I thought you liked him."

"Not after I saw the way he looked at you."

I sighed. "You're so protective of me." I smiled. "Thank you." I liked it when Michael was protective of me, it made me feel loved.

"Well, you're about the only person I know that can go crazy in Oklahoma."

"Are you kidding?" I argued. "This place is so boring, every resident in Tulsa will lose their mind at some point in their life."

"Lets hope not." Michael laughed.

I opened my eyes and looked at my beautiful best friend. "Well, even if it was in my imagination, you saved my life. And that's not the first time, either. Thank you."

He smiled. "It's no problem. That lifetime of servitude still up for grabs?" he asked. "It's yours," I said with a laugh.

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I was back in the field, searching. They _had _to be here somewhere, they just _had_ to be.

"Looking for something?" a strangely familiar voice asked quietly, almost caressingly.

"I think you know," I replied, trying to get my voice to sound like that.

Kace laughed. "Thought so." He sighed. "You know what this means, right?" he asked, arching one perfect eyebrow.

I stood my ground. "I don't see why."

Kace shook his head sadly. "You're human. We are... not. You cant know about us, this is the only way to keep you from exposing us, since mind control obviously doesn't work."

I took a deep breath, finally accepting the fact that these people really _weren't _human. "What are you?" I asked quietly.

Kace looked a little taken aback. "I'm afraid I can't tell you," he said, regaining his composure. He smiled a grim smile, that somehow made butterflies erupt in my stomach.

I felt a set of hands grab my arms to hold me in place from behind me. I didn't try to struggle, though.

And than I felt something sharp against my throat, cutting it open.

**End of Chapter One! I hope you guys like it so far, trust me, there's going to be character's that you guys know and love, but I'm not sure which ones. You guys can tell me in a review. Next Chapter is coming PRONTO! I swear it! But I'm freaking tired right now, so I'm going to have to do it when I've had a few more energy drinks. REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK SO FAR. Constructive Criticism is loved by me, I could probably use it more than others.(: **

**F.Y.I! I may not have EVER mentioned this on here before, but reviews make my day, no lie! So your love is my boost for the day. Thanks! Peace!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so I got a new phone, and- JUST MY LUCK!- I lost my old SIM card. Three years worth of stories- GONE. Believe me, I cried. **

**So I was on the computer tonight looking through my emails and I saw one sent from none other than moi. So I opened it up, and IT WAS THIS STORY! **

**I did the happy dance for about ten minutes. Kay, so sorry for the long wait. Here you go, Hope you ENJOY(:**

Chapter 2.

I woke up with a gasp. I grabbed my neck, burning white hot with pain. Hughie was on top of me his hand going back up above his head to slash at my throat again for attention.

I caught his hand. "Ow, Hughie! Ow! You hurt me!"

Hughie smiled. "Sowwy."

I sighed. "I forgive you, you monster."

"Jejie!" he called, growing impatient. That's how he pronounced my name. Jessie is Jejie in Hughineese. "Jejie! I want to pay wiff my hair pain!"

"You want to play with your airplane?" I translated. "Sure, kid. Let's go get it."

Hughie squealed in delight. "Hair pain! I get my hair pain! Jejie! I wove my hair pane!"

I laughed. He sounded so adorable. I gave him a toy airplane for his birthday, which was celebrated the day before Halloween. Hughie is really born on Halloween, but we didn't want to have to rearrange everything to eat cake.

I went into Hughie's room. A cute little set up. Sky blue walls with boats painted on them. We got Hughie a small little bed with a protective gate on the edges so that he wouldn't roll off in the middle of the night. His toys were high up on shelves so that he couldn't make that much of a mess. His hair pain was on the top of the dresser. I got it down and gave it to him.

"Tank you, Jejie!" Hughie said and ran out of the room. I heard him making airplane noises from the other room.

Just than the phone in my kitchen went off. "I got it!" I yelled as I walked into the kitchen. I picked the phone up and raised it to my head. "Hullo?"

"Jess!" It was Michael, though something seemed off about his voice.

"Hey, Michael. What's up?"

"Nothing. I just really wanted to see you."

"Sure. What do you want to do?"

"Well, I'm at Our Spot. Do you wanna come?"

"Jeez, Michael we haven't been there since... forever." Our Spot was just as it was named. Michael and I found a secluded spot that blocked out the rest of the world, so we named it 'Our Spot'. Kind of catchy, though it was made when we were about seven. "Sure, I'll grab my mom's car."

We hung up. I grabbed the keys on the kitchen counter where my mom usually keeps them. "Hey, Mom?" I called out through the house.

"Yes, Jessie?" it sounded like it was coming from the laundry room. I walked in that general direction.

She was doing the laundry. "I'm going to hang with Michael. Is it okay if I take the car?"

"Oh, sure, dear." She looked distant. "Be back around..."

"I'll call when I'm coming home."

"That works, too. Be careful, Jessie. I love you." My mom was back to folding clothes.

"Love you, too," I called, already at the back door.

I parked the car where the pavement ended and got out. Our Spot wasn't very hard to find, though when you're seven, it feels like you've just found Eldorado or Atlantis. It was at the edge of a dirt road to nowhere in the park close to my house. Michael and I were playing around, pretending to be explorers, and found this spot.

As I hiked through the trees and through a clearing to the meadow, I noticed three things.

One, Michael wasn't there.

Two, this was a trap.

Three, I was definitely going to die.

"Hello," Kace said with a small smile on his lips.

Well, apparently we were going to make a little time for chitchat before my murder. "Hey," I mumbled back, finding no other choice.

"Your friend's shallowness is terrible."  
Kace looked... gorgeous in the afternoon's light coming from the trees. His pitch black hair fell in disarray around his angled face.

I hadn't realized he said anything, though. I came out of my daze. "What?"

"I said your friend is as shallow as a puddle."

"Michael is not shallow," I disagreed. "How did you manage to sound like him?"

"Who said it was me?"

"I didn't think you were about to assume I was stupid. It had to be you, since you're the only one here. And I bet no one knows you're here either, because the other two with you last night wanted me dead." He probably did, too, but I didn't think about that.

"Okay, good one, chica. I guess I was just-"

"I have a name, you know." I wasn't going to get used to the pet names any time soon. "It's Jessica."

"I know, pretty name. I'm pretty sure that's what the third counsel woman's name is... no, I think it's Misty."

"If you're expecting me to keep up, I'm not."

Kace smiled. "I guess I _wasn't_ expecting it. You _are_ human, I suppose." He laughed unexpectedly.

"So I'm a laughing matter now," I said, getting more annoyed by the second. "Because I'm human?"

"No, not at all." Kace was still smiling. "Because you're marked as dangerous to the Class."

"The Class?" I repeated. "Like at school?"

Kace looked amused. "In a way. I have a question."

I sighed. "What?"

"Do you have any scars?"

"Any scars?" I echoed. I had a lot. Some worse than others. "Why does it matter?"

"Let me see."

I sighed. "I have a lot."

He looked surprised. "Do you?"

"I do." I was getting annoyed, I grit my teeth and tried not to think about how I got those scars.

"Are any of them bigger than the others?" he seemed interested now. More interested than he should be.

I shrugged. "I guess."

"Let me see," he said once more.

"If I show you the one I think is the biggest, will you leave me and Michael and anyone else I know that you might be in contact with alone?"

"Sure thing." Kace looked impatient. I sighed and slid my jacket off. I was wearing just a regular black shirt and jeans under.

"It goes across my back," I informed him, unsure whether or not I wanted to show him.

Kace's eyebrows shot up. "May I?" he asked walking around to get behind me.

I sucked in a shaky breath. "I suppose."

A wind picked up just then, blowing my hair out behind me and into Kace. He gathered it up in his hand and threw it over my shoulder.

And then he lifted the back of my shirt up, I felt... weird. Giddy, though I knew this was for some business-like purpose, not for anything else.

"Hmm..." he ran a hand across it. I shivered. "I think this might be it." He dropped my shirt. "But you are right, you have _a lot_ of scars."

I pulled my jacket back on and nodded.

"Wow. The Class is going to be... hmm... I'm pretty sure everyone will be freaked out except for Dewy. He loves everyone. Bundy would want to inspect this, too."

I slid my jacket back on. "So... what _are_ you?"

The left corner of Kace's mouth turned up into a smile. "The NightWorld," he started, "is a group of people- not necessarily people. It's made up of all sort of creatures. Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters..."

"Let me guess, bigfoot too?" I found my voice was shaky though. I was actually _buying_ this.

"Don't be silly." Kale frowned. "You'd have to be mental to believe in that garbage."

"Right," I said. "Sorry, my mistake."

"It's all right. I forgive you. Now let's go, I feel so vulnerable in this spot."

"You can feel free to leave-" I started but my argument was interrupted by a ringing sound.

Kace patted his pockets until he found the right one and pulled out a phone. "It's Kace."

He listened to the other end for a second, and then he went rigid. "And they're all gone-"

He listened for another second. "When did they-"

Kace was listening again. "On your watch?" he asked flatly. "How could you let this _happen_?" he sighed, almost a growl, and hung up the phone.

"Okay, let's go. Come on." He reached for me but I dodged it.

"I'm going _home_. You said you would leave me and everyone else alone."

"I'm afraid I can't do that now, Jess."

I stood my ground. Something was wrong here, and I wasn't going to be any part of it. No matter what. "I dance, you know."

He looked confused, but nodded. "I noticed from your shoes from the other night. But what-"

"I can run. Fast."

Kace caught on. "You know what?" he smiled grimly. "I can dance, too. Wanna see my newest move? It's called the up and over."

And then I was being thrown over Kace's shoulder.

"Let me go!" I screamed. "This is considered kidnapping me!"

"I think of it more of taking you without your permission or anyone else's permission and keeping you with me where no one else will find you," Kace replied as if he had done this countless times.

"That's the definition of kidnap!" I screamed.

"Oh. I guess I'm kidnapping you, then."

"Over my dead body!" at that, I bit where my mouth was closest to, which was the middle of his back. I bit as hard as I could.

Kace yelped in pain and dropped me. I hit the ground harder than I ever have, but ignored the pain and took off at full speed to my car.

Usually when I run, I sing a song in my head. No song would come. Just the wind on my face and the greens of trees and wildlife passing before my eyes. I had been through this little forest, I knew it like the back of my own hand.

I made it to my car and jumped in.

Once in front of my house, I slammed on the brakes, threw the car into park and flew out of the car and flew through the front door.

"Mom!" I called. "Mom, I'm home!"

There was no reply. Something was wrong here.

"Mom!" I called louder. "Hughie! Hugh!"

No reply from either.

My heart seemed to pound so hard it was shaking the frame of the house. I was gasping for air now and a cold sweat dewed at the back of my neck.

"They're not here."

I whirled toward the voice. There was a man leaning against the doorway to my kitchen. His dark skin made him look eerie in the afternoon light. He had a head full of dreadlocks.

"Hmmm..." he said to himself, looking me up and down hungrily. "Con said nothing about a _girl_. And I did do my job..."

"Where's my family?" I asked through my teeth.

"Gone."

"Tell me where!" I shrieked.

His eyes widened, but then narrowed. "I don't take orders from humans." He snarled. "I eat them."

And then he started to change. Subtly at first, but then more pronounced. Dark skin began to turn scaled, he shrank to the floor and transformed before my eyes.

And he was a reptile of some sort. And then I realized what it was.

A Komodo Dragon.

I screamed. This was the largest Komodo I had ever seen, the size of a crocodile. It's snake-like tongue tasted the air and it's beady eyes fixed on me. "I _eat_ them," it repeated again, this voice was raspy and... reptilic.

I screamed again as it launched at me. I raced out of its way and into another room, anywhere but in a room with that thing.

I ended up in my mom's room. I slammed the door, locked it, and put the dresser in front of it to barricade it.

"I will find you," the voice said. "And I will kill you, slowly. Don't think this isn't going to be fun for just _you_. It's a game for me, too."

This wasn't a game for me. It was life or death. I sank to the ground and threw my hands over my head, my knees folding up to my chest. Did that thing eat my mom? Frank? Hughie? Was I next? Of course I was. I began to sob.

"There you are!" it wasn't the Komodo Dragon, it was Kace. "I thought he killed you already."

I looked up to see him swing into the room from the window. It was a graceful and lithe movement, but he seemed agitated.

"He wants to eat me," I whispered. "A friggin' talking Komodo Dragon wants to _eat me_, Kace." I dropped my hands into my lap. "Please tell me I have gone insane."

Kace's eyes widened. "You're not crazy."

"Oh, God! Don't _say_ that. It makes me sound even more crazy!"

Kace shook his head and rolled his eyes. "So, it's a Komodo Dragon? And it wants to eat you?"

I nodded miserably. It sounded even more insane when Kace said it. Because he was being serious.

"We've got an evolver. Well, silver is pretty much the only thing that'll do a shapeshifter in," he muttered to himself searching his pockets and belt for a weapon. "Ah, here we are." He pulled out a silver dagger.

"Jessica! Jessica Renee!" Came from outside of the door. "You open this damn door right now!"

It was my father.

I looked at Kace, my eyes widening.

"It changed," was all Kace said.

"Jessica Renee!" the door was shaking.

I screamed and threw my hands over my head again. "This isn't real, this isn't real," I whispered to myself over and over.

"Open this door right now or I'll beat you so hard you won't know up from down!"

I squeezed my eyes shut. "This is _not_ real!"

"You don't like it when I beat you, so open this damn door!" Kirt Bendison screamed.

He called me a string of curse words when I still didn't open the door.

The door flew open just then, the dresser landing on top of me, pinning me painfully to the floor of the bedroom. I screamed in both pain and terror.

Kirt jumped on top of the dresser that had me pinned. "Mmm," he murmured. "Good enough to eat!" he dove off of the dresser and lunged for me from a different angle.

Kirt screamed, but the scream cut off and turned into a gurgle at the very end.

I closed my eyes as a wave of nausea rolled over me. I choked back a sob. My father's guttural noises finally stopped, the room was overwhelmed with silence

Kace ran over and lifted the heavy dresser off of me with ease. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I said nothing as I slid out from under the heavy wood and got up off from the floor. I tried to fight another wave of nausea as the inevitable smell of death filled the room, a fresh scent.

"Jess-"

"He said he has my family. Frank and Mom and-" I choked back another sob. "Hugh."

"Who took them?" Kace asked, cleaning the bloodied silver dagger off on his shirt.

I opened my mouth to tell him that I had no clue, but someone grabbed me by the ankle and brought me down to the ground.

Kace cursed. "Jess, don't move," he whispered.

I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming, but the dark hand of the man kept crawling up my leg. It wrapped around my calf.

"Kace," I whispered, reaching back for him. He wasn't there. Did he leave me?

"_Don't move_, Jess!" Came from nowhere in particular, like Kace's voice was coming from the air.

My hand clamped back around my mouth. Dark fingers tightened on my leg, digging their nails in my skin, clamping tighter still. I could feel blood welling. I gasped and pulled my leg away, not wanting the man to grab at me again, I kicked him away with my other leg.

"Bad move, Jess!" Kace shouted. "Get away from him- now!"

I squirmed and tried to gain some sense of balance to get away from the man on the floor, but he had found purchase before I could and was dragging me back toward him.

I screamed as the man bit into my leg with teeth that couldn't possibly be human.

The pain was suddenly lifted from my leg. I gasped in shock and pulled my leg to my chest, feeling the blood pulsing from my broken skin. "Kace," I gasped.

I heard an other-worldly scream, and then Kace was at my side. "Hold still."

I tried to sit up. "What _was_ that-"

Kace pushed me back down. "Hold still," he repeated with more force. "If you move," he warned, "the venom will spread through your body faster and..." he took a deep breath. "Here," he finished, ripping a piece of the bed's sheets and wrapped it tightly around my leg, just above the wound. I gasped in pain and dug my fingernails into the shag-carpet on the floor.

"Up you go," Kace breathed, taking me into his arms, acting as nonchalant as ever.

I didn't have the strength, or the patience, to argue. I tried to breath as normally as I could and tried to focus on anything but the pain. I found my first distraction was Kace. His arms felt strong and reassuring around me, his chest moving up and down with the slow steady movement of breathing. I could hear his heartbeat, an oddly comforting sound, considering the situation.

The next distraction was the breeze that hit my face. I could tell we were outside now, though I hadn't opened my eyes since I was bitten. I heard the crunch of grass beneath Kace's feet. I couldn't tell if it was cold or warm, I was numb.

And then I lost consciousness.

**Want more? REVIEW.(: Peace.**

**P.S: That's a "REVIEW.(:" with 4,000,000 PLEASE's included.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Kaaay! To my wonderful reviewers: HAPPYFACE! **

**To those have never reviewed: Sadface.**

**And by the way, I like the Reviews, they make my day. Belle and the Beast, you rock. One of my nicknames is Queen of the Creeps, so its gonna take a lot to creep me out, but you got me to put up another chappie.(: **

**So here you gooo!!!**

Chapter three.

"I can't believe she didn't die."

"Shut up."

"Well, it's true!"

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. What had happened? I tried to think about what went on before I had passed out.

"She's up!" I heard someone call. "I thought you were dead... or at least comatose!" he then said to me. The voice sounded a little familiar, but I didn't know why.

"Don't scare her!" another voice said. This voice was high and sounded like a pealing of bells. "She's going to think she's dead."

_Dead!_

I shot up and immediately regretted it. I gasped in pain and clutched either side of my ribs. I felt... weird. Like someone had gone inside of my body and sent little electrical currents to sting my sides every time I moved.

"Great," a blond girl muttered under her breath. "The meds wore off. Time to see Grayes."

"You..." I knew her name. "You're.... Anne."

"Guilty."

I turned to the boy standing next to her. "You're Clane." Now that they were in light and out of costume, I could tell that Anne and Clane looked exactly alike. Probably twins. They had the same ash colored blond hair and bright green eyes.

"Where's Kace?" I asked when Clane said nothing.

"Who knows," Anne and Clane said in unison.

"You need to see Grayes," Anne said after shooting a glare at Clane. Apparently she didn't like it when someone answered for her... or with her.

"Who?" I asked.

"The doctor here. He saved you from the Shapeshifter venom. You probably need another dose of pain killers," Clane said, sounding bored.

"Shapeshifter?" I picked out of the whole explanation.

Clane looked annoyed. Anne did too, but she chose to answer. "They are what they sound like. They shape into the forms of anything it touches. Even your fears. They've evolved over just any regular one-form 'shifter. Some 'shifter went against Nightworld rules and bred with a witch. Now look what's happened. But only some are venomous, they can change you into a Shapeshifter if it wants. That's what got you."

"Do you think it got my family?" I asked.

"No, if anything he was working for someone to get to something. If your family wasn't dead on the floor right when you walked in, they're alive."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Grayes is in the library. That's where he always is. Go down the hallway and it's the last door to your left. It's huge, you can't miss it," Anne said helping me out of a bed and showing me out the door. The room I was in was plain, all white.

Anne was right though, I really couldn't miss the huge double oak doors leading to the library. They were ominous looking. I shuddered and pushed one door open.

The library was absolutely magnificent. I had never seen so many books in my life. Rows upon rows of books. Every size, every color. I gasped involuntarily as I took in the room.

And then I noticed that there was someone in the room with me. There was a large couch in front of a window that was room length to my right, and on it lay Kace, sprawled across the sofa, reading a book.

"Take a picture, it will last longer," Kace muttered from behind the large leather-bound book's cover.

I had only just now realized that I was openly gaping at the sight of Kace reading an actual_ book_. He didn't seem the type at all.

"What are you reading?" I asked, trying to hide my interest.

"A book." Kace flipped the page without looking up. He finally sighed. "If you must know, it's a collection of Jane Austen."

I couldn't help my jaw from dropping.

"Oh, don't act so surprised. It hurts my-"

"Abnormally large ego?" I guessed.

"Feelings," Kace muttered, glaring at me over the book. His eyes seemed to burn my flesh with just one glance.

I sighed. "Sorry."

Kace went back to his book. "You're forgiven."

"And-" I hesitated- "thanks. For saving me."

"Don't mention it."

Just than someone grabbed my shoulder. I gasped and whirled around, almost losing my already unstable balance.

"Come for more medicine?" the man asked. "Hi, Jessie. I'm Dr. Grayes."

Dr. Grayes was the complete opposite of what I was expecting. He was tall, sturdy and comforting. He had short, balding black hair with traces of gray running through them. He had glasses positioned at the brim of his nose and a quizzical look in the eyes behind the glasses.

He wasn't wearing what normal doctors usually wore, either. He was wearing jeans and a navy blue T-shirt. His Nike's took me more off guard than anything else.

"Hi," I breathed. My body was now alive with the electric-current feeling again from the sudden movement. I felt dizzy.

"Kace," Dr. Grayes scolded. "Jessie is about to faint. Why didn't you offer her a spot on the couch?" I was pretty sure the hand on my shoulder was the only thing keeping me standing.

Kace shrugged, still occupied by his book. "There wasn't any room."

"Do I need to tell Toni?" Grayes asked, his eyes narrowing. "Or are you-"

"Sheesh, Grayes! I'm moving, you drama queen."

Kace shifted enough for one person to sit by his feet. "Happy?" he asked, his book still in front of his face.

Grayes led me over to the couch and sat me down. My arm brushed Kace's foot, the fabric of his sock tickling my arm. The couch was the most comfortable thing I had ever encountered. No wonder Kace wanted it all to himself. The maroon velvet fabric calmed me.

"Okay," Dr. Grayes said. "Before I give you more medicine, I need you to answer a few questions while you're still lucid enough to."

"Lucid enough to?" I echoed. "How powerful is the medicine?" I shot a quick glance toward Kace, who wasn't noticing much besides the text in the book. What would he say when I woke up next? Make fun of me for passing out, maybe even talking nonsense from the meds before I passed out.

Dr. Grayes smiled. "First question." Apparently I wasn't getting any answers. "How dizzy are you?"

I thought about it. I tried to answer as honestly as I could. "Well, the rooms not spinning."

"That's good. Second question." He knelt down on one knee and began to turn my head this way and that with gentle fingers. "Have you had any dreams after losing consciousness?"

A reoccurring one, actually. "Um, yeah." I shot another glance at Kace.

"What was it about?" Dr. Grayes didn't look concerned, just interested. His eyes were lit up with excitement, like he was a child in a candy store for the first time.

"It was about..." I exhaled. "Kace."

"You wish," Kace muttered, flipping a page with a finger.

"Killing me," I finished.

Kace's book fell into his lap as he stared at me with wide eyes. His mouth fell slack. He seemed to be shocked in place, otherwise I knew he would have tried to say some snide comeback. But he didn't.

"Did you want to die?" Grayes asked, looking from Kace back to me. "In your dream."

"No one _wants_ to die," I responded, dodging the truthful answer. I didn't really care if I died in my dream, to be honest. And I refused to tell myself the real reason I didn't care.

Grayes chuckled. "Okay. The venom is definitely out. Time for the medicine." He fished around in his pockets until he produced a small vile of purple liquid. He held it out to me.

"After I take this..." I stared at the purple liquid.

"You will go unconscious while the medicine works its way through you to chase the venom out," Grayes answered matter-of-factly.

I sighed and took the plastic cap off of the bottle. The scent of the mixture was lovely. Lilacs and sunshine and lavender.

"How do you know it's not poison?" Kace asked, raising an eyebrow.

I sighed, Kace was really starting to get on my nerves. "Because, Kace," I said, "no matter how annoying or rude you are to me, I trust you. You did save my life, after all."

Before Kace could reply, I raised the bottle to my lips and poured the concoction down my throat. It may have smelled heavenly, but there was absolutely no taste. It felt like I

was drinking air.

And then I fell to the ground, not being able to help myself or call out for help.

"Kace, you're going to have to help me. My back isn't what it used to be."

I couldn't open my mouth the protest, I couldn't even lift a finger. I could, however, hear and feel the same as I always could.

"Sure thing, boss man," Kace said. I heard the fabric of his jeans move as he hopped off of the couch and crouched on the floor next to my limp body.

I felt myself being lifted into the air and cradled in Kace's arms. "You know," he whispered, "I'm ninety-nine percent sure that you're enjoying this, so have fun while it lasts."

I tried to open my mouth the scream at him, to call him every bad name I could think of, and slap him silly, but of course I lay still in his arms.

"Hey, Doc?" Kace asked a moment later. "What about when she wakes up?"

"What do you mean?" Grayes asked.

"What's going to happen?"

Grayes sighed. "I guess..."

Their voices sounded distant, like murmurs in a different language. I couldn't tell them apart anymore. I strained my ears to hear more, but it seemed the more I tried to listen, the more my hearing became impaired.

And then blackness again.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X(hi)*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X

I woke up with a start. I was disoriented. But I could feel the presence of someone in the room with me, watching me. I sat up to see Kace sitting cross-legged on the bed next to me. He looked like an angel in the all white room.

"What are you doing?" I asked groggily.

"Watching you sleep." The left corner of Kace's mouth worked up into a crooked smile. "You don't look mad when you sleep, plus you drool."

My hand flew up to my mouth reflexively. No drool in sight. "Shut up," I said.

"Fun's over. You're scowling."

I softened my expression and looked at him. "What were you and Dr. Grayes talking about?" I asked.

"Oh, just your living arrangements." Kace looked around the room. "You're in the guestroom right now. You could probably get used to a monk room in no time."

"I want to go home," I said. "I don't have any stuff with me."

"Anne will lend you things."

I sighed. I wasn't going to let this argument go.

"So," Kace leaned forward. "You really heard everything?" he asked.

I leaned forward... and pushed him backwards, off of the bed. He flew back, taken off guard, and hit the floor with an audible thud.

"Ow!" he got off of the ground, rubbing his shoulder. "What was that for?"

"For the ninety-nine percent you were _wrong_ about," I replied. I felt better now that I saw the look of surprise on Kace's face. "Now," I said, kicking the bedspread off of me and standing up. "I want to go back to my house."

Kace has gotten his usual too-good-for-you facial expression back by now. He shook his head. "It's too dangerous, Jess-"

"Not if you go with me." I smiled and leaned forward. "Or are you scared?"

**AN: I _was_ gonna stop here... but than I re-read this chapter and I was like Wow, that was shorter than I thought. So I'll add some more.(: **

**(this is when you go "We loooovveee you miss Hanigan... jk.)  
**

The house I was currently in was larger than I had expected. I felt like a lab mouse trying to get through a maze to find cheese.

We finally got to the front door- the cheese- when I had to ask, "So, where _am_ I?"

Kace smiled but didn't look my way. "This house is a... headquarters for the Class. It was given to us by the Council. They appreciate what we do for them."

We were outside now, Kace had car keys in his hand and a leather jacket slung over his shoulder. He looked like he had just walked out of a magazine and seemed to realize that he did, because he turned around and smiled at me. "Stop checking me out and get in the car, Jess."

I flushed. "I wasn't-"

"Sure thing." Kace clicked a button on the set of keys and I heard the sound of a car unlocking.

The car was amazing. A silver Audi TT. It fit Kace very well, I noticed with a pang. He looked more beautiful than the dream car in front of me.

"Another gift from the Council?" I guessed getting into the car and situating myself.

"Bingo."

"What exactly does the Class do?"

Kace turned and smiled. The car purred to life as Kace turned the ignition. "Like you have already experienced, we save lives, we keep the order, and we're damn good at it." With that, he pressed on the gas and peeled out of the driveway.

"So if we get there and something else is with us..." Kace started.

"You kill it, I get my stuff, we go back to headquarters," I replied, messing with the radio. His selected stations were my favorite stations. "Huh," I said, choosing one. "You have pretty good taste in music."

"I think that is the nicest thing you have ever said to me, Jessica Parks."

I smiled and sat back. Though it was November now and it was freezing in Oklahoma, I was warm in the convertible. Even with the top down.

As we pulled up to a stoplight, another car drove up next to us. The window rolled down, revealing two girls. Pretty girls. Girls that Michael would date. "Hey," the one in the passengers seat said to Kace.

Kace nodded to her and smiled, obviously used to this. I clamped my teeth together in frustration.

She handed Kace a slip of paper as the light turned green. "Call me!" she yelled as she drove off.

Kace smiled as he began to drive too.

"Disgusting," I muttered, crossing my arms.

Kace turned and raised an eyebrow. "Jealous?"

"No." I set my jaw. "Why would I be?"

"Because I am extremely attractive, and those girls might get called back if you don't make a move." Kace seemed to find this conversation funny. I didn't.

"Make a move," I scoffed. "I know your type, Kace. Dumb, blond, and easy. I am none of those."

"You think that's my type?" Kace asked incredulously. "You are dead wrong."

I remembered Kace reading Jane Austen and reconsidered. "Well, you're just cocky. And I'm still not jealous."

"Not cocky, better and aware of it. And oh, but you are jealous. Don't worry, I think it's cute." Kace laughed as he pulled up to my house and put the car in park.

I got out of the car as fast as I could and ran to my front door. Kace was at my side in an instant. I was pretty sure that I had left the door unlocked. I turned the knob. "Home, sweet home," I muttered as I pushed the door open.

The scene in front of me was as if it had crawled out of my nightmares. The living room was completely destroyed. Couches tossed over, the coffee table split in two.

"Oh, God," I whispered, on the verge of collapsing. Kace caught and steadied me.

"If it's too much-" he began, but I waved him off and shrugged out of his grip.

"I can handle it," I said walking through what now looked like the damage zone left behind by a tornado.

The cordless phone that used to be on my coffee table rang as I passed it. Momentarily confused, I searched through the wreckage to find it. "Phone still works, at least." I answered it.

"Hullo?"

"Oh, my God, Jessica Renee!"

I about dropped the phone. "Michael!?"

"Yes!" he sounded relieved. "What the hell, Jess. Where have you been?"

I should have guessed Michael would have called me. I left my cell phone at the house, too. "Oh, I've just been really busy. Mom and Frank are... pretty tied up right now."

Kace snorted.

"Well," Michael breathed. "Sorry. I guess I freaked out. I thought you were ignoring me."

Kace began to make his way back toward my room. I followed after him. "No, of course not. Why would I be ignoring you?"

My room looked a little better than the living room, but not good. I sighed. It was going to take a while to find what I was looking for in this mess.

Kace was sifting through everything, looking interested and business-like. He ducked as my curtain rod came tumbling down toward him.

I had only just realized that Michael was talking to me. "Sorry, what?" I asked, peeling my attention away from Kace and back to Michael.

Michael sighed. "I said you've been acting weird ever since Johnny's party, and I was wondering if I did something..."

"No you didn't do anything, Michael. Don't think that." I tried to think of a way of explaining all of this chaos. "It's just been really hectic around here. I've been a little preoccupied and-" I gasped as Kace opened up my underwear drawer, as if knowing exactly which one it was.

"What, Jess? What is it?" Michael asked urgently.

"Cute," Kace said, holding up a pair of my newest pair of undies.

"Who was that?" Michael asked.

"No one," I covered up quickly. "I'm just watching TV. Sorry."

Kace smiled.

"You sure?" Michael sounded concerned now.

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's nothing. Hey, Michael, I'm going to take a much needed shower. I'll see you later." I hung up the phone and glared at Kace, who didn't seem to notice or care.

"Are you really going to take a shower?" he asked, examining a picture frame, the glass cracked.

I sighed. "Yes."

The shower calmed me immensely. I let the hot water run and hit my back, smoothing my tensed muscles.

When the hot water began to turn cold, I decided it was time to get out. I put my hair up in a towel and threw my favorite bathrobe on. I checked my body over before opening the door. There were bruises on my legs from where the dresser had hit me, but other than that I was fine.

I swung the door open and walked into my room. The cool air that rushed to greet me made me shiver. I hugged my elbows together to keep warm.

Kace was sitting at the foot of my bed facing my small TV. What was he watching? He seemed completely engrossed in whatever it was.

And than I realized that he was watching me. He must have found one of my recital tapes, this being the most recent, and put it in to watch. "Don't watch that!" I gasped.

He didn't seem to hear me. He watched as I twirled onto the stage for a solo. As I leaped, he hit pause, stopping me in mid air. He had paused it at the perfect moment too, I looked graceful.

He turned and looked at me. "You're a really good dancer," he said earnestly.

I felt the blood rising to my cheeks, my face getting hot. "Thanks."

A crash from the other room made me jump. "What do you think-" I began to ask, but Kace was already on his feet, muscles tensed.

"I don't know, but I hope it's something big," he said, a wicked smile forming on his beautiful face. I was surprised he didn't jump up and down clapping. He bolted out of the room with a silence that stunned me.

Just than a pair of hands clasped around my throat. I gasped, but no air would come into my lungs. I was lifted off of the floor and pounded against my bedroom wall, knocking what was left of my breath out of me. The towel on my head fell to the floor, my wet hair spilling out, sticking to my face.

The man before me wasn't big, but fit. He was skinny, but tall and thick. His beady eyes bore into mine "Girl," he rasped. "Food."

My lungs were burning from lack of air, threatening to burst and kill me at any given moment. I tried to make a noise, but no sound would come out.

Suddenly his hands were gone. I collapsed on the ground, gasping for air. Every fresh breath was considered a blessing. I looked up from my place on the floor to see what had happened.

Kace was now kneeling over the man. Compared to Kace, this man was monstrous. Where Kace had a thick head of long black hair, the other man was bald. Where Kace was peachy, the bald man was peaked. It didn't stop there, but I forced my attention away from the looks to listen to the conversation.

"Who sent you?" Kace asked through his teeth.

The bald man gasped. "Argamate-" he called.

"I killed your friend," Kace said with a smirk. "Some well-trained killers you are. I got him with one swipe." He looked disappointed. I couldn't fathom why though.

The bald man said nothing.

Kace sighed. "They always do like it the hard way," he muttered, searching around for something. "Jess, do you have a silver dollar on you?"

I thought. "Um, maybe," I replied getting up off of the ground and looking in my closet. I was pretty sure I had one in my treasure box from when I was a kid. I found the box, opened it, and looked inside.

"Yeah, here," I said tossing the coin to Kace.

Instead of catching the coin, though, Kace opened his palm until the silver dollar hit it flat, and in one quick movement smacked his palm to the bald man's chest.

The man screamed in agony. I could hear his flesh sizzling where the silver contacted. "Stop! Stop!" he begged, writhing in agony.

"Tell me!" Kace demanded, flipping the coin onto the man's forehead.

"Vl- Vladimir!" he screamed, and than went limp.

"Did you kill him?" I asked, staring wide eyed at the lifeless man on the floor. There was a circle of burned flesh on his forehead now.

Kace sighed. "God, I wish." He smiled. He reached down and patted the man's cheek, too hard to be anything friendly. "We need this little trooper alive for more questioning. Clane loves questioning."

"Somehow, I can see that." I furrowed my brow. "Did he tell you anything?" I asked.

Kace got off of the ground. "Yeah, he did. Get primped up, Princess. We've got a party to attend."

**Mkay, so I don't know about you guys, but if you've read the host or the mortal instruments series, you'll know what I mean when I say I lovvvveee badass jerks with a big heart. **

**Jace Wayland- exhibit A. **

**Jared Howe- exhibit B. **

**You gotta love em, and that's exactly what I'm trying to get with Kace. You'll see more of the caring stuff in the next chapter. And trust me, it might get intense.(: **

**Till next time! I'll post the next chapter with some more reviews, you gotta love them reviews.(: **

**So tell your friends and stuff to read this.**

**(Por Favor)?**

**Aight, peace. **


	4. Chapter 4

**... Ohhey.. I saw all of my reviews and thought I'd write another chapter.. **

**You can welcome me back to Fanfiction with nice reviews.(:  
**

The car ride was quiet. I smoothed down my strapless white mini dress and flipped my recently straightened hair over my shoulder. It was still surprisingly hot in Kace's car; I had my jacket slung over my seat, just in case.

I looked over at Kace as inconspicuously as I could. He looked gorgeous, like always. Wearing dark jeans and a long sleeved blue sweater. His black hair was tussled, but it looked good. He casually made a left turn, staring straight ahead the whole time he did. "You look good," I commented.

He took his eyes off of the road to leer at me for a moment. "You look like vampire bait," he replied, a smile playing on his lips.

I sighed. "Is that a bad thing?" It wasn't the first time I had been called bait before, but it was the first time it really mattered to me what it meant.

Kace smiled, and shook his head. "For you? No. For me?" he laughed. "It's just going to be a bit harder to keep my eye on you with you looking like that. Everyone's going to want to take you away with them tonight."

A kick to the back of my seat sent me rocketing forward unexpectedly.

Kace sighed, obviously annoyed by the man in the back seat. He wasn't physically bound, I noticed, but there was some sort of invisible restraint on him. Kace reached over to open up the glove compartment, brushing my leg as he did so, giving me butterflies. He pulled out a silver chain and smiled. "I got this for my tenth birthday," he said proudly. "I designed it myself."

In his hand was what seemed to be a necklace, to gaudy for someone like Kace to wear. It was made with all silver, a large chain with 'KaceWeston' wound intricately together for the charm on the end. He slapped the necklace onto the man's arm in the backseat, who yelped in pain when his skin started to sear from the silver's touch.

When Kace took his hand away, his name was branded into the man's skin. I must have looked horrified, because Kace then said, "It might be cruel, but it gets the job done." His tone was what I guessed to be reassuring.

"Okay," was all I could say in reply to that. I hope he wasn't expecting some type of sonnet.

"The man I'm going after tonight-" Kace started.

"You mean the man _we're _going after tonight?" I asked.

Kace merely shook his head and continued. "is named Vladimir. He is one of the top vampires- on the wrong side. The class has tried to pin him on hundreds of crimes, but he just cleans up too well. I'm hoping tonight we can actually get something on him. According to skippy here-" he nodded to the man in the backseat- "Vladimir has something to do with the kidnapping of your family. And I'm-"

"_We're_" I corrected.

"going to figure out what."

We pulled up to a hotel and Kace parked the car. He turned and looked at the man in the backseat. "Stay," he commanded, as if talking to a dog. The man growled in reply. Kace smiled and opened the door to get out.

There was a body guard at the front, deciding who to let in or not.

"Let me handle this," Kace said, turning and walking confidently up to the large man with the clipboard.

A minute later, he stalked angrily back to me. "He wont budge," Kace growled. "We're going to have to find another way in. There's probably an entrance for the servers or we could find someway to scale the building and come in from the roof down-"

I was already walking past him toward the body guard. "Let _me_ handle this one," I said with a smile.

I walked up to the body guard with a large, sweet, smile. "Can I ask what you use for your hair? Its just so soft and shiny!" I ran my fingers through it tentatively.

The man smiled and shrugged. "Just regular stuff. I guess I just dry it differently."

"_Really?"_ I sounded surprised. "That's incredible. I bet you get all the girls with those locks."

He smiled.

"So, listen. My friend and I need to get in there to find a friend of ours. Hes not as cute as you, of course," I said, earning another smile from him, "but we really need to find him. Its really important." I made myself look vulnerable.

"Well, Im really not supposed to.." he began. " But if it really is that important.." He stepped aside to let Kace and I in.

"You can get on your knees and grovel later, that's cool," I said to Kace as we entered the hotel room.

"Let me get your coat," Kace said, ignoring what I had just said. He grabbed my jacket and turned toward the coat closet, effectively interrupting a couple in their seven-minutes-in-Heaven. "Dude, youre in a hotel. Get an actual room," Kace said as he threw our jackets on the two and closed the door.

Girls from the other side of the room had already noticed Kace and had started to walk over to him. Time to go my own way. I spotted the dance floor immediately and began to make my way to it.

Once again I was taken away by the power of the music, the thrum of the beat going through my chest and feet. I let myself be free and began to dance, letting go of all of my worries, all of my cares, all of my thoughts. It was just me, the music, and the dance floor.

I opened my eyes and saw Kace making his way toward me. I grabbed his arm and pulled him to where I was on the dance floor, smiling as I twirled around his still body. He was too tense. "Whatssup?" I asked him, still dancing.

"Have you even been looking for Vladimir?" He asked, still not moving.

"I wouldn't think hed be down here. By now he must know that we're on to him and will either be hiding or is going to bring us to him even more so he will attack. So I just decided to dance. Which is what you should be doing too," I replied.

"I'm not much of a dancer," Kace said, watching me as I moved.

I laughed lightly, now moving my hands up and down him, getting closer. "It's easier than you think. Just don't think."

He suddenly pulled me closer, our faces only inches apart. "And then what?" he asked.

And then we were kissing. I don't know how it happened, and I don't know why, but it did, and neither of us were going to stop each other. It was as if the rest of the world, everyone in the room melted away, leaving just Kace and I alone on the dance floor.

Kace suddenly pulled away, giving me one last light kiss, and gave a small smile. "We've been summoned," he said, looking behind me.

I turned and saw a large man, much like the body guard at the front, who was staring intently at us. Kace moved away from me and toward the man. I followed close behind him, wondering what was about to happen to us.

The man led us through the darkened party room, through a door, and into a bright white hallway. My white heels echoed off of the tiled floor as we walked. The man leading us through the room said nothing. Kace was silent as well. I decided not to say anything either.

The man walked up to a nearby elevator and pressed the "up" button. It dinged and opened up for us. He stood aside so we could both enter the elevator. Once we were both in, he pressed the button to lead to the 12th floor. "He'll be on the roof," the man said before letting the elevator door encase us inside.

The elevator was smaller, but Kace and I had managed to separate ourselves to seem like we were on opposite sides of the world. Kace took a deep breath and closed his eyes, obviously preparing to say something to me, but was stopped short by a phone ringing. He sighed and took it out of his pocket. Flipping it open he answered, "This is Kace".

As he began to talk on the phone, I let my eyes wander. The elevator walls were made up of mirrors, and I easily caught my reflection. I looked a mess, my hair tangled and frayed. My cheeks were flushed, my eyes shining too brightly. I looked like I had come down with some fever. I smoothed my hair and turned to look at Kace.

Kace still looked magnificent, of course. He had rolled the sleeves of his shirt up, exposing his bare forearms. He looked tense as he talked on the phone, and I realized that he was checking himself out in the mirror as I was. Not in an I'm-so-full-of-myself way, just simply looking at himself as he quietly argued with the person on the other end of the phone. He closed his eyes tightly and exhaled sharply. "Toni, I know what I'm doing, and I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself... yes, and her, too. Toni, I can handle this, do not take me off of this mission, I'm so close... yes... yeah, I know I am... Okay." He hung up the phone.

He turned and looked at me. "Toni wants to talk to us when we get back from this. So.. I dont know, dont get yourself killed."

I gave Kace an icecold glare after that one.

He sighed. "Please, Jess."

The elevator door dinged and opened up to the 12th floor. I took a shaky breath and walked out. I know it was a silly thought, but I could almost feel how high up I was and couldnt help but to think what would happen if the hotel had collapsed...

"You alright?" Kace asked, obviously noticing how uncomfortable I was right now.

I nodded slowly. "Heights," I replied. "Not my thing." I saw the sign pointing the way to the roof and headed toward the small staircase. "Lets go," I said over my shoulder.

Out on the roof, I could see nothing but the sky. No one was on the roof that I could see; maybe we were the ones there before him. I walked over to the edge of the roof and dared myself to look down. Kace was right behind me, ready to steady me if I got dizzy. The cars all looked like ants from all the way up here, the people merely specks that I could easily hide beneath my pinky finger.

A gust of wind came over the roof of the building just then, and I wished severely that I had kept my jacket with me tonight. But in no time I was suddenly warm again.

"That's cute"

I whirled around to see a man stepping out of the shadows.

"And may I ask why you are here, Kace?" the man asked, stepping forward, into the moonlight so I could get a better look at him.

Vladimir was tall and skinny, with white-blond hair and a pale complexion. He was certainly dressed for the occasion, wearing a black suit and tie. He looked strangely beautiful and deadly in the moonlight, and I somehow couldnt help myself from being drawn closer to him. His eyes flicked to notice me just then, an he smiled.

"We received some information regarding you and a kidnapping," Kace said, all talk no nonsense.

Vladimir was still looking at me. "Are you warm, Jessica?" he asked politely.

I blanched at the sound of my name, but worked up enough courage to finally nod my head yes.

Vladimir smiled and looked at Kace. "Your magic is certainly doing the trick."

Kace said nothing, just looked Vladimir up and down. "What can you tell us about the kidnapping?" he finally asked.

Vladimir shook his head. "Kidnappings are always unfortunate, and are thus not my forte, Mr. Weston, you should know that by now. I'm a man of taste, a man of-"

"Blood?" Kace guessed. He stepped forward, toward Vladimir, eyes piercing. "If you werent involved in the kidnapping, Vlad, than how come one of your men ratted you out?"

Vladimir stepped toward Kace, voice calm as ever. "Did he now? Must be some kind of mistake. I deal with my problems myself, I dont hire men to do it for me."

"Like the Natalie Herman case?" Kace asked, still striding toward the now lethal looking Vladimir. "Found drained of her blood in a park, all clues pointing to you-"

"and _yet_," Vlad interrupted, obviously annoyed at this point. "You _still_ have nothing on me. Other than I am a vampire."

My eyes widened as he said this. I was getting in way too deep.

Vlad noticed my reaction and smiled. "Yes, Jessica, a vampire. I need blood to keep me alive. Do you want to know which blood tastes the freshest?"

He was suddenly right behind me, smelling my neck. "Your blood, for instance, dear Jessica. The blood of an innocent tastes like heaven." He backed away as Kace moved toward us. "I was just explaining my kind to her, Kace. No need to worry." He smiled briefly.

I noticed that I could see figures lurking in the shadows.

"Dont mind them, theyre with me," Vlad said with a smile.

"Vladimir," Kace said, "I am going to ask you one last time about the kidnapping. If you dont give me a strait answer-"

"You'll what?" Vladimir said, stepping even closer to Kace. "Arrest me?"

Kace stepped toward Vladimir, the two were in hitting range now. "Yes, I will call you in for questioning."

Vladimir laughed. "Save it. I'd be gone by the time you tried."

"Are you questioning the authority of the Council?" Kace asked angrily.

"No. Just yours."

I stepped toward the two before Kace swung. "Boys, stop, dont fight-" my heel caught on a crack in the roof and I stumbled. Kace caught my by the wrist and pulled me upright, not taking his eyes away from Vladimir as he did so. The saying "if looks could kill" crossed my mind at that point.

"You probably shouldnt step so close to me, dear," Vladimir said. "It could be dangerous."

"You are bound by the law of the night world to not-"

"_Enough_ of these laws!" Vladimir cried. "I smell Jessica and I want her."

I took an involuntary step toward Vladimir. Oh no.

"Jessica.." Kace warned.

"Kace, I cant-" I took another step toward Vladimir.

"Jessica, we're leaving."

"Oh, no youre not," Vlad said with a smile. "I am very hungry."

"Kace?" I asked, taking yet another step toward Vladimir.

Kace was murmering something to himself, and suddenly, I could move my own legs again.

"You are a very powerful witch, dear Kace. And yet, you will not be able to leave." Vladimir's staff stepped out of the shadows. All of them vampires, no doubt. Kace looked up for the challenge. I, on the other hand, began to shake with fear. Kace and I were both dead.

The five of Vladimir's men circled around us. Vladimir smiled. "Spells and potions wont help you now, Kace."

Kace smiled. "No," he agreed, reaching into his back pocket, "but this will," he said as he pulled a wooden stake out.

"And how did you even get into my party with that?" Vlad asked. "Remind me to hire new help."

Kace had already lunged for the nearest guard, effectively knocking him to the ground. He had taken out two of the men in no time.

One of the men of the group turned and headed toward me. I welcomed the challenge, building up all of my pent up rage and letting it out on this one vampire. I ducked down, kicked his legs out from under him, and was on top of him in no time.

"How did you learn that one?" Kace asked throwing me a stake.

"Self defense classes with my mom." I drove the stake home.

I got up off of the man and took a step back.

And was suddenly suspended off of the edge of the roof. I screamed and kicked, all to no avail.

"I'll be coming back for you, precious. Youve left your mark on me, I need to make my mark on you." He smiled. "But right now, I need you for a different purpose."

"Let me go!" I screamed. My grasping hands ripped some of the fabric of Vlad's tux off, but it was the best I had to hold on to.

"Poor choice of words." Vladimir released me.

I felt the wind whooshing past me as I fell 12 stories down. I could barely feel the scream rip its way out of my throat and off into the night. I closed my eyes and prepared myself for the landing that would ultimately take my life in the process.

"Damnit, Jess, hold on to me!" I heard Kace yell. I grabbed out blindly and felt Kace there, arms encircling me and pulling me closer to him.

And than millions of needles were cutting at me, biting at my skin. I yelled out in pain as one of them cut my cheek open.

Ground.

Pain.

I rolled away from Kace, gasping for air. Once I had gotten it back, I checked myself over. I was cut all over, and I knew why. I had landed in a nearby tree, the branches sharper than I would have ever imagined. I could feel the blood running down my face from the wound it had caused on my cheek.

I saw Kace and gasped.

He was lying more still than I had ever seen him, breathing, but just barely. I crawled over to him. His lips were barely open, lips that I had kissed. That seemed like years ago now. A stream of blood was coming out of the corner of his lips. I let out a shaky sob. He had taken the blow of the ground for me. He was going to die in a matter of minutes now.

"Help!" I screamed. "Someone! Please!"

Kace coughed and tried to sit up. "They cant... hear you," he managed to choke out.

"I need to get you help, Kace!" I yelled. "I'll go get help, you just stay here-"

"_Jessica_," Kace exhaled. "Shut up. Reach into my front pocket and pull out the vial."

I quickly reached into his pocket and pulled it out.

He opened his mouth and I poured it in.

He coughed as the concoction went down his throat and closed his eyes.

A moment later, he took a deep breath and sat up. He plugged his nose with his fingers and blew, as if to pop his ear drums.

I saw his ribs crack out, back into their original position.

"Thats going to hurt like hell in the morning," Kace said cheerily, wiping the blood from his mouth with his now torn shirt.

And than I fainted.

**A/N: soooo.. its been awhile! Sorry guys! If it makes you feel any better, I wrote this instead of studying for my math test tomorrow! **

**So dont slaughter me when you review. **

**And I will write another chapter as soon as I possibly can! I pinky promise!**

**but itll make me move faster if I get reviews to power me to write the next chapter!(: **

**Peacee!((:  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**This is gonna be kind of short, my apologies! But I hope you like it!((: **

I woke up feeling worse than I had ever felt before. There was an awful taste in my mouth and and even worse feeling all over when I moved. I groaned as I unwillingly came back into consciousness.

And then I remembered.

I shot up. "Kace!" I exclaimed.

"Alive and well," Kace replied. We were still in the car, Kace must have carried me to the car after I fainted. He looked better from what I could tell in the sparse light of the car, and seemed to be healing more each second.

I sat up even more, moving the jacket that was wrapped around me. Huh. Kace must have gotten our jackets before we left. I hugged the warm tan leather of Kace's jacket tightly around me and breathed in the scent heavily. It smelled of Kace: dirt, blood, and ivory soap.

"What just happened?" I asked quietly.

Kace took his eyes off the road a moment to look at me fully."Jessica," he began, "I'm a warlock. I can cast spells, use magic. I'm very advanced for my age; I've been trained to be since birth. You should probably get used to stuff like what you just witnessed."

The breath whooshed out of me. I was so drained. I had finally admitted to myself that all of this Nightworld stuff is real.

"And how do I tie into all of this Nightworld stuff?" I asked calmly.

Kace shook his head as if searching for the answer himself. "I don't really know. No human is supposed to know about the Nightworld, that's one of the rules."

"Rules?"

"The rules of the Nightworld. No human is ever allowed to know of the Nightworld, the punishment would be death. No person from the Nightworld is allowed to fall in love with a human, the penalty is  
also death. There's more rules and regulations, but those are the top two. So how you were pulled into all of this, I wish I knew. Maybe someone has had you mistaken for a Nightworld member. But you have the scars... Which could be a misunderstanding as well, I don't know yet."

"What does any of this have to do with my scars?" I asked.

"There is a prophecy, which, mind you, there are a lot of. This one states that Hellewise, the first witch, has a direct line of descendents among the humans. The line is supposed to die off with the last heir, whom is said to have a marking on her back to prove it."

"The first witch? Wouldn't the descendants look like her? Like a witch?" I asked. I was picturing green skin and warts. Then again, Kace was a witch and had none of those traits.  
"Unless blonde haired, blue eyed, and beautiful make up the traits of a witch? Its hard telling who the line consists of."

"That's funny," I mumbled. "You just described my-" I gasped. "My mom!"

Kace hadn't caught on yet. "Jess? What are you-"

"What's so important about this last descendant?" I asked hurriedly.

"Well, if the line keeps breeding with humans, they will eventually have more human in them than witch, but until then, many think the line should be exterminated. It's only contaminating our population. Others think we should welcome them. Most just want them dead, though."

"My mom," I repeated. "You described my mom. She's blonde, blue eyed, and had a birthmark on her back, like Hughie."

"All of you have marks on your back?" Kace seemed surprised, but tried to hide it. "That's interesting," he finally said.

We had finally arrived back at the Headquarters for the class, the sun was now rising, a full night was just spent, and I was ready to sleep.

We walked through the front door and began to make our way to the bedrooms when a voice called "Kace Weston."

Kace cringed at the sound of his name, like a child getting caught in the act of breaking a vase. He slowly turned toward the room where the voice came from. "Coming," he muttered. He grabbed me gently by the arm and pulled me toward the room.

The office we entered was magnificent, to say the least. Vintage maroon wall paper, peeling slightly in some places, covered the walls of the large room. A few feet ahead lay a pink love-seat, sitting infront of a large mahogany desk, covered with stacks of papers. A large chandelier shone down on the whole scene in front of me.  
The woman behind the desk was quite interesting as well. Toni was small, delicate, petite. I could barely see her over the desk. She looked intimidating though, at least she intimidated Kace, by the looks of it.

"Good morning, Toni," he said dully. "How was your night?"

Toni smiled, as if used to this routine. "Uneventful. You can be sure I would like to hear all about your night, though." Her light blue eyes were piercing, even from over here. "Take a seat, please. Both of you."

We both made our way over to the loveseat and sat down. The seat was so small that we could both barely sit comfortably, and made us so uncomfortably close we weren't thinking about the prior at all. Kace seemed more tense than usual.

"I want to know _everything_."

And so we told her. It was as if neither one of us could help ourselves; once we opened our mouths, we couldn't stop talking until the very end. When we were finally finished, Toni sat back in her chair, looking like she was deep in thought. Kace seemed even more tense than before.

"Kace," she began quietly, "I _told _ you not to act until we actually had a plan set out." She sighed. "Can you obey me for once? Just once? Sometimes there is actually a method behind what I do." She didn't sound too angry, more like an exasperated mother chiding her trouble-making child once more.

"Toni, I understand you're upset, but I _had _him. I had already taken out all of his men, but he was just too fast. If we can just do a search spell, it'll-"

'Toni shook her head. "You are not old enough to try such an advanced spell, Kace. Besides, we don't have anything belonging to the person we are searching for."

"Not true," Kace said, pulling a piece of fabric from his jean's pocket. I stared blankly at the black cloth, wondering why on earth Kace kept something so ratty in his jeans. "This," he began, "came from Vladimir's tuxedo. Jessica had torn it from him when she fell," he stated calmly, folding the cloth back up and slipping it back into his pocket quickly. "We have everything we need to find him, Toni!"

Toni looked troubled. She ran a hand over her face and sighed. "You are not ready for this, Kace. If you were I would allow you. We can discuss this further in the morning."

"When are you going to let me do anything I am capable of doing?" Kace asked. "Its not like I'm not trained for it. _You_ trained me, Toni."

At that point she sighed. "Kason.."

"I've already alerted Clane about the man in my backseat, he's probably already being questioned," Kace said as if he didn't hear Toni.

And than my phone rang. I jumped, not realizing that anyone would call me. I checked the caller-ID and sighed. I pulled myself out from the confines of the loveseat and walked a short distance away to answer the call.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Jessica, where are you? I just went to your house and it's-"

"There was a break in," I lied smoothly. A church bell began to chime from somewhere off into the distance, letting me know the time was 8 in the morning. I sighed. "I'm fine, don't worry. I'm somewhere safe."

"And your family?" Michael asked.  
I sucked in a sharp breath at this. "They're _fine_," I answered, though it seemed like I was trying to convince myself more than Michael.

"Can I see you, Jess?"

"Not today. I've had a rough night. I'm sorry." I shook my head, I couldn't bring Michael into all of this. "I have to go, Mike. I'm sorry." I ended the call.

I resumed my place on the loveseat and tuned into what Toni was saying.

"Kace, you have broken so many laws tonight. And I know that the class has some rights but not a lot. You can't just go storming into a nest of vampires and not expect to get yourself thrown off the top of a building. It was very irresponsible of you both." she now addressed me. "Ms. Jessica, I know you want to find your family, but this is not the way to do it. Following Kace's irrational and unthought-out schemes is the opposite of what you want to be doing right now."

My eyes weren't open, I was too worn out to hold them up. I shook my head. "So far," I began, irrate and- frankly- pissed, "Kace's 'schemes' are the only things that seem to be getting me closer to finding my family. What have you done?" I snapped.

Toni sighed again. "I know it can be hard, but we are doing the best we can-"

"Really?" I asked. My eyes teared up and I shook my head. "I've lost _everything_. And here you are, sitting behind your desk, telling me you're actually _trying_? The least you can do is spare me some  
honesty."

Toni seemed genuinely surprised. I guessed no one had ever spoken to her like that before. "You both are dismissed," she said quietly, calmly, "go get some sleep."

Kace grabbed my arm to stop me as I headed for the stairs. "Jess," he said.

"What?"

"I'm going to find your family."

I closed my eyes tightly. There was no way I was ever going to repay Kace. "Me, too," I finally said.

The doorbell rang.

Kace and I turned toward the door. No one moved.

It rang again.

"I'll get it," Kace muttered. I followed him to the large oak doors as he pulled one open.

I nearly screamed as I realized who was at the door. "Michael?" I asked in disbelief.

"Michael?" Kace echoed.

"Michael!" I cried as I ran past Kace and into Michaels arms.

**a/n: sorry guys, this was pretty short. But I haven't really been keeping up with updates and I feel bad, so I thought I'd show you what I have so far! Pleaaaase R&R and tell me what you think! **

**Mucccch Appreciated!((: **

**PEACE! **


	6. Chapter 6

In the entryway, I stood, my arms folded over my chest, trying to remain as calm as possible. Kace, the ever- suspicious boy wonder, circled silently around Michael, examining him, like he would a shark, or an animal at the zoo.

Michael cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable.

Kace narrowed his eyes and gestured with his head toward the hallway. "This way, human." He started off down the hallway.

I grabbed Michael's hand and pulled him after Kace, knowing that he was already tired and irritable. I didn't want to piss him off any more. "So how did you find me, Michael?" I asked, looking up at him. He looked the same, I noticed with some surprise. He still wore his favorite sweatshirt: light gray, bearing the band "Parkway Drive"s name. His smooth tanned skin didn't seem to have changed at all. I knew I shouldn't be shocked to see that he had not changed at all, but it felt as though I had changed so drastically, those around me should have been altered just as much. I was glad this wasn't the case with Michael.

He turned and smiled down at me. He was still almost a head taller than me, even though I was pretty tall myself for a girl. "When I was talking on the phone with you, I heard those church bells. I knew the church, and just set off looking for you. I knew you couldn't be _in _the church, the bells would have been louder. This was the only house in a close enough range for the bells to be heard." He shrugged. "Honestly, I would have gone through a whole village to find you, Jess."

I sighed. It had been too long since I had seen Michael.

Kace had led us into the kitchen of the large house. It was homey, with yellow painted walls, and wooden furniture, I was immediately comforted, even though I had never been in here before.

"If you brought us in here to fix us a sandwich, Kace, I'm more sleepy than hungry," I said.

Kace shook his head, but otherwise ignored that comment. "Come here," he said to Michael, pulling out a chair from the square table a few feet away from where Michael and I stood.

Michael looked utterly confused. "Why?" he asked. He looked at me, as if I could enlighten him.

"This is Kace, Michael. He saved my life, more than once. He's helping me find my family," I began, going easy on him. "The only weird thing is-" I took a deep breath- "he's a witch."

"Warlock," Kace corrected. "And I would like to see what you are." He looked meaningfully toward the chair.

Michael looked as though he had been punched in the stomach. He looked at me. "I promised you I wouldn't let you go crazy, Jessie. Why are you making this so hard for me?"

I laughed. One, clipped laugh. "I know, Michael. And you're still keeping your word. I'm not crazy. This is _real." _I tried to think of how to convince him. "I didn't believe it at first either. But after you get chased around by a shapeshifter, kidnapped by a warlock, and face a pack-"

"Coven," Kace corrected once more. "Only werewolves have 'packs'."

"A _coven_ of vampires," I amended, "you really start to see that there's a whole different world out there, one you're just now starting to see."

Michael looked taken aback. "You… I… How…" He seemed at a loss for words.

Kace, noticing my distress, walked over to where I was standing. "Back at that party you both attended, Jessica ran into me and my team as we took on a vampire. From then on, we just kept seeming to run into each other. And now, here we are." He smiled, it made him look both menacing and beautiful.

Stupidly, I blushed. "That's not really how it went."

"I know, I'm much more dashing and daring in the detailed version," Kace replied. He turned his attention to Michael, pointed to the chair and said, "Sit".

Finally, Michael did as he was told. He sat with a huff in the chair Kace had pulled out for him.

Kace nodded his approval and began to search his way around the kitchen. He opened a nearby drawer, pulled a handful of silverware out and held them out to Michael.

Michael cautiously grabbed them from Kace's outstretched hand. "What now?" he said after a few seconds had passed.

Kace wrinkled his nose, which would have been cute, if I wasn't so tired I was only thinking about sleep. He reached into a higher cabinet and pulled an odd bottle of spices down. He took the lid off, inhaled deeply, and then passed it to Michael.

Michael sniffed it, and sneezed.

Kace snatched the bottle back and went to return it to its proper home.

Unexpectedly, Kace lashed out with what looked like a bamboo stick. It struck Michael's arm swiftly and I gasped in surprise. Michael muttered "ouch" and rubbed his arm defensively.

"Whatever," Kace finally said. "You're about as human as it gets. I'm going to bed."

Before leaving though, he turned and looked back at me, looking as though he wanted to say something, mouth slightly open, face as vulnerable as I had seen all morning, but it had vanished just as quickly as it came. His face was wiped clean of any emotion. He muttered "Have fun" and walked out.

I expelled a breath I didn't realize I was holding as soon as he had walked out. I turned to Michael, who was now getting out of the chair, making his way toward me. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Sorry about him," I added, almost as an afterthought, "he kind of does what he wants and expects to get away with it."

Michael had no reply to that. Instead, he said "Are _you _okay, Jess? No offense, but you look like hell."

I sighed. "I've _been _through hell, Mike."

"Why don't you tell me about it?"

We ended up wandering back to the room that I was staying in. I was surprised that I could find my way so well throughout the house already, it was large enough to be a maze, and practically was. But we made it safely back to where I had been sleeping, and crashed on the bed. Instantly, I lay my head on Michael's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, and told him everything.

*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X

I woke up slowly, not wanting to open my eyes, but knowing that waking was inevitable. I sighed and peeled my eyelids back; they stung at first, as though someone had thrown sand into them. I blinked a few times before rolling over.

I bumped immediately into Michael, who was fast asleep. I glanced at the clock on Michael's cell phone, now lying on the bedside table next to me; it was 3:00 AM. I stifled a groan and tried not to think about how out of tune my sleeping patterns were starting to become.

I hopped silently off the bed, stretched my stiff muscles, and headed for the bathroom straight ahead of me, knowing I looked almost as dreadful as I felt.

It turned out I didn't look that bad, for someone who had just fallen off of the roof of a hotel a few hours before. My hair, amazingly, was still in loose curls. Other than the long, thin cut along my cheek, my face seemed unaffected. My arms and legs, however, sported horrible, sallow bruises, making me wince reflexively. I found a long blue waffle-knit shirt and my favorite pair of jeans and pulled them both on.

I was _hungry_, though. My stomach growled viciously at the thought of food. I wondered if there was any good food in the kitchen of this house or if I would just lose my appetite at some of the things I would find.

Ignoring that thought, I silently walked out of the room and to the kitchen.

The house was completely dark. I had to painstakingly run my hands along the walls and cautiously feel in front of me so that I didn't run into anything. I had only tripped once and stubbed my toe twice so far, a feat I was fairly proud of.

Once I had made it into the kitchen, I looked around. Was there a pantry? Maybe I could start in the fridge-

Someone grabbed me roughly. My scream was cut off by a familiar hand covering my mouth. "Shh," Kace whispered, "it's just me."

I tried to calm my breathing as I turned around to face Kace. I could hardly see him in the dark of the room, barely making out his profile. His hair looked mussed, like he had just woken up as well.

"Are you hungry?" he asked as I was trying to think of a sarcastic remark to give him, taking me completely off guard.

"Am I hungry?" I repeated.

I couldn't see, but I could almost _feel _Kace rolling his eyes. "Lets go."

"Where exactly are we headed to?" I asked, relaxing in the passenger's seat of Kace's car. There was no man in the backseat to kick me repeatedly now, which made my ride much more enjoyable. There was little traffic this early in the morning, which made our journey to wherever we were going considerably faster.

"My favorite place to eat when I'm as hungry as I am now," Kace replied with a bright smile on his face.

The building was small, square, made of bricks. It was crammed between two other buildings, the ones on either side of it looming over the pub like older siblings.

"Oh," I said as the building came into view. "It looks…"

"Secluded?" Kace offered.

I nodded.

"It's only for the people of the Night World. No humans allowed," he said with a grin, leering at me.

"Then why did you take me here?" I asked.

He shrugged and said simply, "They'll let you in, Jess."

As we approached the large wooden door, I realized there was no sign to name the place. There was, however, a large black flower painted just above the door.

Kace noticed me looking. "The Dahlia flower represents my people, the Witches. This club isn't too strict about who comes in and out, but it's mainly witches here."

I nodded. "I didn't realize there was segregation in your world," I said thoughtfully.

Kace smiled slightly, it was a half-embarrassed smile. "I guess it's unavoidable."

Kace held the door open for me and I stepped inside, surprised at what I saw.

The club was exactly what any modern day restaurant would look like. There was a long bar, going almost the length of the room, stopping right before an old fashioned piano, pushed up against the wall. A few feet behind the bar there was one row of booths, looking cozy and inviting. I was also surprised at the people in here. It was way too early in the morning for anyone to be up, but there were at least 10 people already in the bar. I noticed a man eyeing me thoughtfully.

"They don't take our orders till we sit down," Kace said, coming up behind me.

"Cross one steaming helping of sarcasm off the menu," I replied, moving toward an unoccupied booth in the back.

The man that had been staring at me since I had walked in was now smiling at me slyly. I had guessed his intentions long before I had reached where he was sitting and as inconspicuously as I could walked to the other side of Kace, safely out of that man's arm's reach. Kace seemed to notice why that was why I changed position and put a steady arm behind my back, pushing me forward and past the man.

Once we had seated ourselves, I picked up one of the menus lying on the table and began to read through its contents. The items on it were oddities, something that would have made me lose my appetite if I wasn't so hungry to begin with. "Um.." I started, "the special is the Raw Meat Platter?" I asked curiously.

"For the werewolves. The Vampire babies-"

"Vampires have _babies_!" I asked in shock.

Kace looked up from his menu, obviously annoyed that he was interrupted. "There are two kinds of vampires," he began, "the made vampires, and the Lamia. The Lamia were born vampires, not bitten and created. They age- as long as they want to. They also are able to have children."

"Oh," I said lamely. "And they like raw meat?"

"To suck the blood out of," he had gone back to studying his own menu.

"Kace, I don't see one single thing on this menu that I would even consider-"

Without looking, Kace reached over and flipped the menu I was holding in my hand. The page was covered with food that I would eat. I sighed gratefully and began looking over it, my stomach snarling at the thought of everything my eyes scanned across.

When I looked up Kace was watching me, smiling. "That hungry, huh?" he asked.

"How can you tell?"

"You looked like the thought of deciding between any one of those things would kill you." Kace was still smiling slightly. "Same with me. How 'bout we split?" he suggested.

"If you're okay with that," I said quietly.

As if on cue, the waitress appeared at the end of the booth. She was beautiful. Pale, no imperfection on her flawless face, wearing blood red lipstick, blonde hair pulled back into a stylish ponytail. I felt a pang of jealousy stab through me at the sight of her, especially when I saw the look that Kace was giving her.

"The usual, Kace?" she asked with a smile. I idly wondered what Kace's usual was. For some reason, I couldn't picture him chowing down on a regular burger with fries.

"Actually no, I'll have one of everything."

My eyes widened. "Kace-"

He held up a hand to silence me. The waitress seemed to have enjoyed that movement more than she should have. I blushed, angry.

"Will do," the waitress said, and with a wink toward Kace walked away with a grace I had never seen before, even as a dancer.

"Don't scowl like that," Kace said, inspecting his fingernails, "it's unattractive."

"So is silencing your-" I stopped. What was I going to label myself? Date? Friend? Girlfriend? I looked down, suddenly hot. "So is being unmannerly to a girl."

Kace laughed softly. "My apologies, Jessie."

I looked up. "What?"

"I said-"

"You called me Jessie," I stated.

"That is true. Now tell me, what color is my shirt?" Kace asked, sarcasm heavily lacing his tone.

I glared at his gray sweater and said, "I'm used to you calling me Jess. Which is weird, because no one calls me Jess but Michael. Everyone else calls me Jessie or Jessica."

"Would you like me to call you either of those instead?" Kace asked. He didn't sound like he meant it.

"No. I just don't know why I wouldn't have noticed you calling me that before." But I was afraid I did.

"Veronica?" Kace called suddenly. The waitress turned from the other side of the restaurant and began making her way over to where we sat. When she had arrived, Kace asked, "Could we have a couple of Witches Brews?"

Veronica nodded and walked away, reappearing a short time later with two glasses of a pale blue liquid.

"What is this?" I asked suspiciously.

"A very good beverage. You probably shouldn't know what's in it." He took a swig.

I took an experimental sip. It was sweet, one of the best things I've had my whole life. My spirits immediately felt lifted, the room seemed to get a shade brighter. I looked at Kace, who was smiling. I smiled timidly back, not being able to help it.

"So tell me about this Michael."

I sighed. "He's my best friend. We've known each other since we were little kids." I smiled, remembering those times, when things were a bit less complicated. "When I was ten I wanted to be poweranger. Michael was the only one who didn't laugh at the idea."

Kace looked amused. "When I was ten, I did my first back flip off the top of a playground slide."

I furrowed my brow. "You would have been a better poweranger."

He laughed.

"Anyway," I said, "Michael and I know everything there is to know about each other. We don't keep secrets. We're practically inseparable. Like brother and sister."

"I don't think brother and sister is what he has in mind," was all Kace said.

I looked at him in confusion. He must have been mistaken. Michael never felt that way about me. Never. No mattered what I wished.

The food arrived before I could ask him what he meant, though. Heaping platters of delicious food. My stomach snarled as my eyes raked over the contents. It was all I could do to not knock poor Veronica out of her heels and snatch the plates from her hands.

As soon as she walked away, I picked up the nearest item of food and began to feast. Not much was said between Kace and I, our mouths were too full of food to talk anyway. Occasionally I noticed him looking at me from across the table, a small smile on his face, one that he often wore.

"So," I started, not knowing caring if it sounded rude or not, "Kace? Why don't you live with your parents?"

Kace looked up at me, his eyes dark. "That's not an option."

I gulped. "Why?"

Kace looked as if he were to say no more, but I found his mouth opening and words unwillingly spilling out.

"My mother and father were both witches. I am pure blood. When I was younger, though, my father was killed. He worked for the Council. A war had broken out among the were's and the vampires." He sighed. "That was when he was stationed in Peru. While he was working to stop the war, he was killed. Either by vampires or werewolves, I don't know. I wish I did."

I had opened my mouth to apologize, but he was already pressing on.

"Widowed, my mother took on the task of raising me." He smiled, it wasn't exactly happy. "I was probably a bigger handful than she asked for, but I guess I didn't really care. That was when Andrew showed up. Andrew was a second father to me. Andrew was nice, Andrew was kind, caring, thoughtful, loving. Andrew was _human_."

The realization hit me. "And your mother loved him." As I said this, Kace's words rang in my head: _No human is ever allowed to know of the Nightworld, the punishment would be death. No person from the Nightworld is allowed to fall in love with a human, the penalty is also death. _I felt a pang of pain shoot through my heart for Kace just then.

Kace said nothing; I had obviously guessed the right answer.

"But…" I began, furrowing my brow. "That's so _wrong_. You should be able to love whoever you want to love- whoever you _do _love. There shouldn't be laws stating who you can and cannot love. It doesn't work like that."

Kace looked up, more amused than sad. "Humans are vermin to those that are of the Nightworld. That is what we are all raised to think. I was never raised to think like that though, I was raised with a human. I had no idea until I was sent away here- away from my mother and Andrew. Those that make up the Nightworld firmly believe that they are better than humans."

"They cant all think that." Surely not.

Kace looked thoughtful as he chewed on a french-fry. "No, not all. Have you tried the apple pie?" He asked, holding a fork out to me. I slowly took it from him. The pie was amazing, yes, but I was not going to change the subject.

"So not everyone does? How do you know?"

Kace sighed. "There is a group, one I've heard in rumors and stories. It's called Circle Daybreak. They are a group of Nightworlders and their soulmates."

"_Soulmates?_" I repeated, trying to hide my smile. It just sounded so cliché.

Kace was serious as ever, though. "It's a term we use. There is an old story, one I've heard of as a child. Every single creature in the Nightworld has a soulmate. The _one_ for them. Their true love. Now the actual chances of finding them: slim-to-none. But from what I've been hearing, it's not as impossible as it seems. The Circle is growing more and more each day, more of our people are finding their soulmates."

"And how do you know?" I asked. "I mean, how do you know that the person is your soulmate?"

"The whole world slips away, leaving only the two alone. The two reach each other in a way that none other can. You share a special connection, and suddenly, you are _in _eachother's minds. In their every thought and feeling ever. You two are _one_."

I jumped at the sound of the new voice. Kace looked startled as well, but quickly regained his composure and smiled. "Or so I've heard," he finished for the stranger.

The boy at the end of the table smiled broadly. He had dark blonde hair, gelled up into spikes, and a dangerous look about him. He seemed friendly enough, but something told me he was the type not to be messed with.

"I'll be right back, Jess," Kace murmured as he stood and walked over to the other side of the room where the old piano was, the boy following right behind him.

Right after the two left, Veronica had arrived. She picked all of the plates up with agility and speed and walked away. As she turned to leave, I caught a whiff of her scent. It smelled familiar. Like a winter's breeze. I had smelled the same scent before on someone, but who?

Vladimir's face swam up before my eyes, and I realized where I had smelled that before. Veronica was a vampire.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and looked down at the table. A huge caterpillar had crawled out from somewhere and was now maneuvering through all of the bits of food and crumbs that had spilled off of the plates while Kace and I ate. It was a peculiar sight to see on a dinner table, and I looked for something to shoo it off of the table with.

A large hand slammed itself down upon the table before I could think anything further. It scooped the caterpillar off of the table and I watched in horror as the large man swallowed the bug in one gulp. I placed a hand over my mouth to contain myself from gagging or screaming out loud. The man, silent as ever, turned and walked away from the table.

I turned to make direct eye contact with Kace. He was smiling broadly, obviously entertained by the event that had just taken place. I shot him a glare, still trying to calm my breathing.

Kace laughed and gestured for me to join him over by the piano.

I did as I was told, sinking into a cushioned chair near the piano bench where Kace was seated. The boy talking to him was stationed at the wall that the piano lay against, lounging lazily, arms carelessly crossed over his chest, a calm smile on his face.

"So what brings you here, Kacey?" The boy asked curiously. He shot a glance toward me.

Kace remained calm. "I could ask you the same thing, Dewey. Haven't really seen you around lately."

Dewey shrugged. "Grounded, you could say. I need a break."

Kace laughed. "From what?"

Dewey shrugged once more. "We dont all need to fight off a clan of vampires to request a break, man."

Kace sighed. "How'd you find out?"

"News travels. I'd watch out if I were you. I think you've really pissed this guy off."

Kace looked unconcerned as ever. As if to prove this, he turned and began playing the piano. I recognized the tune instantly.

"Lexington?" I asked.

Kace nodded his approval.

"All I'm saying, Kace, is that you're not as indestructible as you appear to be. Don't go looking for trouble you don't need to be in."

"Noted," was all Kace said in reply.

"Go get some sleep."

"I'll sleep when I'm dead." Kace smiled slightly and continued playing.

Dewey shook his head and muttered something about Kace's timing of death being relatively close and walked away.

Kace drew his song to a close, turned to look at me. "You know what?" he asked. "I really cant stand him sometimes."

"He's just trying to help," I replied. "You're really good, by the way," I added, nodding to the piano.

"Thanks." Kace sighed. "I just wish I knew how Vlad ties into your parents."

"The only way we'd find out is if we caught him. But he's probably long gone by now."

Kace's eyes widened. "We can find him."

"What? We can? How?"

Kace smiled wickedly. "Let's go."


	7. Chapter 7

**a/n: Heelllooooo! Oh, and MERRY CHRISTMAS! May I just say that making it to 20 reviews on this story made my christmas VERY FREAKING MERRY! So thankyou, guys! I mean it! You're all awesome. If I ever meet you guys, you get high-fives and a smiley face sticker. (scented, of course.) Well, anyway. I noticed I didnt put any authors notes in the chapter before this one, and it got me to thinking: do you guys even read these? haha! It doesnt really matter, I suppose. But I just wanted to thank you all for the reviews and tell you that stuff is about to get real. You know those really twisted plots? Yeah, thats pretty much what I'm made of. I dont know about you, but I'm into creepy. Buttttt anyway, merry christmas, and I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Its shorter than I would have thought, considering how much is packed into it. Read and Review, tell me what you think, give me lovin!(: **

It was still dark out by the time we arrived back at Headquarters. As Kace led me through the mansion, it was all I could do not to trip and fall on my face in the pitch black rooms.

Kace let out an exasperated sigh and grabbed my hand so that I wouldn't run into anything else.

And I was suddenly outside in the sun.

I was swinging on my swing set. I pictured myself flying as I swung higher and higher off the ground. My braided piggy-tails swinging alongside my head, the warm summer breeze whipping at my face. I gave one final push and let go of the swing, flying into the air for a moment and impressively landing on my feet a couple of feet away. Content, I headed inside.

"Kirt, she's not even-"

"She's _mine_, I know. But what if she starts showing your traits?"

The whispers of my parents became louder and louder. It was only a matter of time before the swinging started. Eight-year-old Jessica squeezed her eyes shut.

And I was somehow inside of Kace's mind. I saw everything. What he was feeling, thinking, saying, doing. Every corner of his mind was open to me. I felt myself falling, and Kace's arms catching me, but he was falling as well.

_Jessica…_

He did not say it out loud, I knew that much. But I could _hear _it.

_Kace? _

_It's you._

_What?_

I was suddenly in the rain. Kace looked up at the looming walls of the Headquarters and shivered. This was where he was going to live? This was where he was going to be for the rest of his life? Why couldn't he have just stayed with his mother and Andrew? He had already lost his father.

_I lost everything,_ Kace whispered.

He wiped his long black hair out of his eyes and searched for the doorbell. More than anything, he didn't want to ring it. To ring the doorbell of this place meant accepting his new life, what he was going to become. He was going to be a completely new person after ringing this bell.

The Council he had sat before as they decided his fate had told him just as much. They had forgiven him for his crimes, he was unknowing of what he had done, after all. After spending the rest of his life as part of the Class, he would learn that to love is to destroy.

_To love is to destroy,_ Kace repeated.

_That's nonsense._ It was just so stupid to hear. _Of course you love. You can't help but to love. Its involuntary, not something you can help. _

Faces flashed through his mind just then. Anne and Clane. Grayes and Toni. His mother. His father. Andrew. Me.

Me?

I was violently shoved away. I hit the wall of the hallway with a thud and cursed colorfully.

I looked up to see Kace sitting on the opposite side of the hallway as me. Even in the dark, his eyes sliced holes into me. "I don't know what just happened," he began, "but I don't want it happening again."

"You think I know what happened?" I asked.

He stood without saying another word. "Come on," he said, without offering a hand to help me up.

I sighed and stood up. What _did _just happen? Was it just some odd coincidence? Was it something I ate or drank? I shook my head to clear it and motioned for Kace to lead the way.

He turned without saying a word and continued forward.

After a long, awkwardly silent walk, we ended up in Kace's bedroom.

He closed the door behind me and immediately went in search of something. I sat quietly on the edge of his bed. The moon was shining brightly, sparsely lighting the room. From what I could tell, it was the same size as the room that I had been sleeping in. A little more personalized, though. I could tell someone had been living in this room for quite some time. The bathroom had dirty clothes strewn across the floor. Kace's bed was made, but just barely. It looked as though someone had only roughly brought the covers up to the front of the bed to make the room look a little cleaner. I couldn't see Kace from where I was sitting, but I could hear him rummaging through drawers.

A few minutes later he appeared before me carrying a variety of different items.

He sat on the floor and lay everything out in front of him. He riffled through them and found a large piece of white chalk.

Curious, I sank to the floor next to him to get a closer look at what he was doing. He still had not informed me of his genius plan, and I had only assumed that I would have to figure out what exactly it was for myself.

Wordlessly, Kace began to draw on the floor infront of him. The chalk scraped across the wood floor, but not loudly enough to wake anyone up. I watched as he crafted what I knew to be a pentacle. In awe I watched as he drew perfectly straight lines and formed intricate-looking symbols within the star. His motions were precise, confident. I watched his face: concentrated and disconnected from everything but the chalk, his hand, and the floor. He wore the face of perfection.

He placed the chalk down when he was done, and chanced a look at me. Our eyes connected, and my heart contracted as I was reminded of what had just happened out in the hallway. How had something like that not happened before this time? And what did Kace think of this?

Kace was back to work instantly, grabbing what looked like pots of herbs and incense and placing them in certain parts of the pentacle. Next he took five small candles and set them at each edge of the star. He took a larger candle and placed it in the center. He reached into his pocket and pulled the piece of black fabric that had come from Vladimir's suit out.

Now he turned his attention to me. "This will bring us to him. If he is alone, I can take him and we can question him, find out what he has to do with your family." A muscle in his jaw jumped as he brought my family up.

I nodded, letting him know that I understood.

He placed the piece of black fabric on top of the flame of the center candle. It lit up and was gone in seconds.

I waited for something to happen, but nothing did. Maybe he did something wrong. I was about to say as much when my feet were whipped out from under me. Before I knew it, I was standing on a different floor; this was hard, concrete, dust covered. I shivered, unexpectedly cold.

"Kace?" I called, looking around. I was in a large room, filled with what seemed to be piles of junk. Furniture, cars, hunks of rusted metal.

"Right here," Kace replied, coming up behind me.

"This is where he is?" I asked.

Kace nodded. "A warehouse, by the looks of it. I can smell the sea. We're definitely out of state." He furrowed his brow as he looked ahead of him. "I'll be right back."

I watched him walk away, shivering. How big was this warehouse? I wondered how long it would take to find Vladimir. Or if he had brought a group of his body guards into hiding along with him.

Kace reappeared a few minutes later, looking defeated. "This place is huge. I wrote down the address. I think we should go back, tell Toni, and go back in the morning."

I nodded, not loving the idea of searching through a large warehouse for a rogue vampire.

Kace reached into his pocket and drew a piece of chalk out. He bent down and drew a pentacle, almost exactly like the one he had created in his bedroom. He hooked his finger through my belt loop, obviously to avoid touching me, and pulled me into the pentacle next to him.

A pair of thin, cold hands grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me back just before Kace disappeared. I screamed Kace's name anyway, though I knew it was hopeless.

"Shhh," Vladimir whispered in my ear. "This wont hurt a bit."

I screamed once more and fought against his hold on me.

"Sleep now, darling."

The world drifted into darkness.

*Kace POV*

I skidded and crashed into my dresser. It was all I could do to keep from screaming. Jessica! That was the only word I could think.

What have I done?

I pounded my fist against the floor. _Damnit_!

I pulled myself to my feet and forced myself to think of ways to get her back. I couldnt seem to focus though. So much had happened tonight. So much.

Was Jess the one?

I couldnt deny it, I knew she was. She was.

Gone.

And now she was gone.

_Think, Kace. Youre not going to lose her. _

I wasn't going to lose her. 

I wasnt going to.

I wasn't.

**a/n: So nao Im randomly wondering, should I go into Kace's point of view more often? Or should I keep it strictly Jessica? Oh, and should I include any original NW characters in here? I was wondering about that as well, and if so, which character(s) should I put in? I tell you what, Hannah is my favorite (she has my name, and a small birthmark on her cheek, like me!) but I dont know where she would fit in. So if you guys have any suggestions, Im all ears! And I'm checking this on a daily basis now, so I will get back to you guys as soon as possible! **

**I suppose thats all I have to say for now! R&R pleaaases!(:**

**Peace!**


	8. Chapter 8

**a/n: Hi guys. Happy New Year! I thought I would start off the new year with a new chapter. I was starting to miss reading reviews./: annnnyywhooo. This chapter is sort of short, sort of sick, sort of twisted. Sorry if y'all dont like it. But the odd, odd workings of my mind are how they are, and this is what they produced. **

**So enjoy!(:  
**

I woke up with an awful taste in my mouth and an even worse headache. What had just happened? I felt lightheaded, dizzy. When I opened up my eyes I saw the ceiling above me: white and cracked, caked with mold in some places. I looked to my left and saw a window, telling me that it was night out, the sky black as pitch. My brain was groggy, working more slowly than usual; only just now did I realize that I was lying on a bed. How did I get on a bed?

I looked at my left hand, lying beside my head, and furrowed my brow. A large metal manacle encircled my wrist; the thick chains attached to it running down the bed and off to where I couldn't see. I could feel the cold metal on both of my feet and my right arms as well. I squeezed my eyes shut. This was _not _happening.

I slowly opened my eyes back up and turned my head to the right.

My right arm was lying straight alongside my body, the inside turned to face up. An IV needle was taped to the crease of my elbow, tapped into the single blue vein that was most visible. Slowly, my eyes followed the IV line, noticing that the tube was filled with blood. With creeping nausea, I followed the line all the way up to a blood bag that was being filled-slowly, but surely- with blood. My blood.

I heaved, only once. Being sick would do me no good right now. But I had to think. How could I get out of these chains? Where was Kace? Where was I?

"I told you I would find you."

I turned to face straight ahead, where a man was standing in the doorway. I knew almost immediately that it was Vladimir. Who else could it possibly be? I could only make out his figure, but I could tell by the way his lean body was poised in the doorframe, he was enjoying himself immensely.

"But _I _wasn't even the one to find _you_. You came straight to me, even better. Less work for me, I suppose." He laughed. "Don't be alarmed at the sight of your blood, dear Jessica. It will not drain you entirely for quite some time. I am going to make you last."

As if that would reassure me.

"The whole place is locked up as well. No one is getting in, no one is getting out."

That was _so_ not reassuring. I pulled on the chains around my left wrist, seeing how strong they were. They gave way for only a fraction of a second before they would budge no more. I fought back tears of anger and defeat and fear that threatened to spill over. "You're just going to keep me here?"

Vladimir stepped forward into the room, his lips pursed. "I see nowhere else I would put you."

I began to tug harder against my restraints. "You could let me go."

Vladimir sighed. He obviously wasn't pleased with that suggestion. He silently walked over to the bag that was slowly being filled with blood. "I wouldn't struggle, dear Jessica. It only gets your heart pumping more blood into this bag for me. Don't make me put you back to sleep."

I stopped tugging and looked at him. "Stop struggling? And just accept my death? I don't think so." I went back to pulling against the chains.

"Jessica, stop. This is pointless."

"Not to me."

Vladimir sighed and shrugged. "Very well." In one instant he was leaning over me. "I've tried being nice, dear Jessica. I've tried giving you more life. I could very easily tap into you using my own two fangs. But I've spared you that much. I don't see why I should be trying so hard."

He was suddenly on top of me. I let out a cry of shock.

"I like you, Jessica. I do. There is something different about you. Unlike the rest. You are unique. And you would be a very interesting person to connect with. All I have to do is bite."

Scared and unknowing, I said the first thing that came to my mind. "No you won't. You're scared."

He drew back, unexpectedly. I let out a silent sigh of relief.

"Scared?" he repeated. "Not quite. I could do this easily. Your family is already missing; no one would know that you were gone."

"Where are they?" I asked quietly. "I have to know."

Vladimir looked thoughtful for a moment. His pale blonde hair glowing in the darkness made him look almost angelic, but I knew better. I could see something poking through his mouth: two pointed canines, long and menacing.

I gulped.

Vladimir looked back to me with a smile. I could see his fangs clearly now, they were almost iridescent in the dark, longer than a cat's, more like a lion's. "You two certainly do have your history," he said. "And he certainly is powerful. I am glad to have met someone like him." His smile turned more menacing. "But I do not know where he has taken your family, I am sorry."

"Who is he?" I asked, trying my hardest not to stare at his mouth, and failing miserably.

Vladimir took a deep, annoyed breath. "His name is Consilias. Dreadful name, I know. But he is feared by many. The name has a reputation."

"What does he want with my family?"

"It's simple. He wants to end the line."

Before I could ask another question, I heard a loud crash from somewhere in the warehouse. It sounded like someone was trying to get in. For one fleeting moment I pictured Kace coming to my rescue, but realized that was impossible.

Vladimir sighed. "Well, looks like Lord Thierry is faster than I thought. Better make this quick." He roughly pushed my head back so that my neck was exposed. From the corner of my eye I saw him smile wide, his fangs glistening.

He struck for my neck.

I screamed.

**a/n: I hope you guys liked that! Please review and tell me what you think!((: More madness is coming to you! It'll be like a NightWorld soap opera pretty soon! Dear AcadmicGames, I really love your idea of the original NightWorld characters and I love the character that you made for me! Trust me, she'll be in here! So will the original NightWorld characters! Thanks to all the reviews, love, and support guys! It really means a lot! **

**Till next time! **

**Peace!(:  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**a/n: Hiiiiidey Ho! Sorry its been so long guys. Homeworks been a bully, and I've been sick... busy,busy! **

**Anyway, enough excuses, I know what you guys really came here for. **

**And its right below this!(: Enjoy!  
**

The bite never came.

That thought was only on my mind for an instant though. The second thought, screaming in my mind, was _why?_ Repeating itself over and over and over: _why_?

I acted before I realized. I opened my eyes and sat up as best as I could. I didn't care where Vladimir went, I needed to be out of here.

The IV. I looked down at it, still taking blood out of my arm. I was beginning to get dizzy. I had to get it out fast. But the manacles held fast. My ears had a rushing sound in them and my head felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Somehow through all of the fuzzy details, I could see that there was something going on in the corner of the room.

"Kace?" I asked.

**KACE POV!**

I held the stake pressed under Vladimir's throat. He didn't seem scared though, his fangs were still out, a smile on his face. I wanted so badly to kill him, but I had to wait.

"My, my. Just in time, Kace," Vlad said casually.

"I should kill you," I said through my teeth.

"Ah, but that's no fun."

"Kace?" I heard from the bed in the room. I looked up to see Jess looking around dazedly. My heart contracted at the sight of her. _Jessica._ I saw the chains connected to her wrists and ankles and my blood boiled. I would kill this vampire, I would-

"I'd give her a few hours, maybe more. She's lost a lot of blood." Vladimir smiled.

Oh, I could _definitely _kill this blood sucker.

I stared deep into his cold, black eyes. I pressed the stake into his skin, only enough to make the blood well and spill over, nothing too lethal. Vladimir's smile faltered for an instant as he winced. "I'd give you a few seconds, maybe more. Now _talk_."

"What would you like to know, Kason?"

"Who has her family? Who's behind it all?" I asked, tightening my grip on the stake.

Vladimir smiled. "I wish I knew."

The door opened just then, and in stepped Rashel. Dressed in all black, and wearing a look that could definitely kill, she stalked over to the bed that Jess was laying on to undo the chains.

But as soon as Jess registered the sight of Rashel, she grew frantic. She screamed, thrashed, kicked, clawed. I looked at the bag of blood lying next to her, realized that it was very full. She was most likely hallucinating from the loss of blood.

I glared down at Vladimir, the monster that was going to cease to exist in less than five seconds.s

Rashel looked up from the screaming girl and said "Kace," urgently. I was instantly at attention. "she's lost a lot of blood. She doesn't know me, and she won't listen."

Dutifully, I hopped up from my place on Vlad and over to the bed. Fleetingly, Vlad tried to get up, only to get sent back down by a heavily booted foot. Rashel smiled sweetly down at the vampire underneath her, twirling her lignum vitae expertly.

"hey there hot stuff," she said, "long time, no see."

Vladimir snarled.

I turned my attention away from them and on to Jessica. She was even more pale than usual, her eyes ringed with gray. I pressed the back of my hand against her cheek, it was cool to the touch. "Jess," I whispered.

I ripped a strip of the bed sheet off that she was laying on and yanked the IV out of her skin. Blood immediately started to pour out, streaming down her arm in crimson ribbons. I tied the strip of fabric to her arm, stopping the blood flow.

"Kace," Jess whimpered feebly. My heart automatically constricted. I had to get her to safety, I had to get her help.

I looked over to Rashel for guidance. She was in charge of tonights mission, and was something of an idol to me. She would know what to do right now.

Rashel looked up at me, her black hair spilling in front of her face like a dark waterfall. "Take her back to Headquarters," she instructed. "Grayes and Toni will know what to do."

I nodded once, then went into action. I looked at Jess, deciding the best way to go about this. "Jess," I said, "it's me. It's Kace."

Jessica's eyelids fluttered open, but she didn't seem like she could see anything. "Kace?" she whispered. "What happened? Did I fall asleep?"

"Yeah," was all I could think to say in reply. I scooped her up into my arms, skin tingling where it touched hers, and carried her from the room.

Outside of the room, there was more activity. My cousin, Thea had already drawn a pentagram to transport back to Headquarters. Quinn was also there, staring stone-faced until his soulmate Rashel came prancing out, her wooden blade pressed between Vladimir's shoulder blades, his face broke into a smile at the sight of her.

Thea looked up from her place on the floor next to the pentagram to see me holding an unconscious Jessica. "Yikes," she said mildly.

"That about sums it up," I replied.

"We better go," Quinn said, "Liz is at the Headquarters waiting."

I stiffened. "Liz Redfern? Does that mean Clane and Anne are back?" it was only a matter of time before Toni clued them in as to what I had been up to while they were gone, and none of the three were going to like it very much.

Thea stood, wiping her hands off on her jeans. "Okay," she said, "it's ready."

I took a deep breath and walked forward onto the chalk and disappeared, only to reappear back in the entryway of the Headquarters. I hastily stepped out of the way to let the next person come through. I immediately went to find Grayes. Jessica was limp in my arms, and that really worried me.

_It will be alright_, I whispered mentally to her. _Don't worry_.  
_I know_, she weakly whispered back.  
And then silence.

**JESSICA POV !**

It was hard to wake up. It felt like I had just been pulled through layers of water to the bed that I was now laying on. Visions of nightmares haunted my waking thoughts, faces all tangling together in a wild blur.

I opened my eyes to see Dr. Grayes sitting in front of me. "Goodmorning!" he said cheerfully.

"Where am I?" I asked slowly. "where... Where is Kace?"

"Downstairs, I presume. Relaying last night's events to Toni."

I began to sit up.

Grayes placed his hands gently, but firmly on my shoulders and pushed me back down. "I have given you some medicine. I'm sure it was enough to stabilize you. But you will still be weak. Now," he said, standing up and righting himself, "you look like the type of girl that does what they're told. I'm not allowed to let you leave this room. I've specifically been told to keep you in here until you are required for questioning." he began to search his pockets. "Ah," he finally said, "here we are." he pulled a vial out of his coat. It was small, with a tiny bit of light orange liquid inside of it. "This," he explained, "is used as an instant energizer. Works wonderfully, I've heard." he set it on the table beside my bed. "I have no room in my pockets, so I'll just leave it here for safe keeping."

I watched as he walked across the room to the door. "I have to go be somewhere else right now. It just so happens to be on the other side of this building, far enough to where I won't hear you or see you if you leave this room. Have you seen the key to this room? No? I suppose I'll just have to trust you to stay put then. Be good." he winked, and with that was gone.

I had to admit, that was one funny doctor.

I counted to one hundred after he left, then snatched the vial up from the bedside table and undid the stopper. I downed the liquid inside quickly, waited a little longer, then got out of the bed I was in and stretched.

I had been taken out of my old clothes and changed into what seemed to be an oversized T-shirt. I noticed a robe at the end of the bed I was sleeping in and shrugged that on before I padded off in search of Toni's office.

Eventually I ended up in the entry way, the sun was just barely rising over the horizon, casting off an orange glow through the windows on either side of the door. Graye's concoction for energy worked better than I hoped, I was instantly full of energy, but unfortunately, it didn't help with the physical pain. I was sore and stiff, my arms and legs bruised, my muscles felt like jello, and my knees were shaky.

"I thought you weren't allowed to leave your room," I heard quietly from behind me.

I whirled to see Kace standing there, freshly changed, toweling off his damp hair and staring at me intently. In the light of the rising sun, he seemed to shine even more brightly than he already did if that was possible. His face was masked in shadow, but I could still see his eyes shining brightly through the darkness.

"Or did Grayes not get the news?" he asked, stepping closer to me, "You have a problem with not doing what youre told."

I shrugged. "Im not the only one."

Kace was right in front of me now, close enough for me to smell him, laundry and ivory soap. "Jess," he said quietly, "if I would have known, if I would have had any idea about what would have happened, I wouldn't have even considered-"

I shook my head to cut him off. "Kace, don't—"

"How cute."

Kace and I both turned, Kace catching me by the arm as I turned into him.

A long, elegant body unhitched itself from the shadowy wall in the entryway. I watched as the epitomy of all beauty stood and gracefully walked in front of the two of us. The light coming in from the windows didn't give off much light, but I managed to catch the details. Like how her forest green eyes sparkled, even in the dark. Her chocolate brown curls stuck out elegantly from beneath her Michigan State beanie, spiraling down over her shoulders, covered by a matching Michigan State sweat shirt. She was wearing black skinny jeans, with a pair of stylish short black boots to top it all off.

And here I was in a tatty T-shirt and robe, my hair crusted with blood and sweat, my face peaked and feverishly spotted. I was suddenly very self-conscious of how I looked right now, when normally I wouldn't be after a night like what I had just gone through.

Kace regarded the girl in front of him with sleepy eyes. "Liz," he said casually, "its been awhile."

"Almost too long, Kacey." She smiled a little ruefully, but still beautifully. "And I take it this is the verm—"

"This is Jessica Parks," Kace cut in smoothly. "Her family has been kidnapped."

Liz's eyes hardly passed over me before she said, "Pleasure."

I blushed, wishing fervently that I had taken the time to shower before coming down here.

A thought hit me just then. "Michael!" I said, half horrified, half surprised.

"He's gone," Kace replied.

"Gone?" I echoed.

"Gone. He shouldn't have been here. We sent him on his way."

"Oh," I said, as Kace and I locked eyes.

And that feeling was back again. That feeling of _belonging_, of need, of want, of—

Liz coughed delicately. "So, Jessica?" she asked.

"How was Michigan, Liz?" Kace asked quickly.

Liz steadied her gaze on me a moment before she turned back to regard Kace. She sighed. "Business is business. Clane and Anne got to see the parents, and I got to hang out with my younger siblings." She shrugged. "The shopping there is much better than down here."

"But you didn't find anything out?" Kace asked.

"Look, I may be older than you guys—" she began.

"Liz, lets not get cocky. Youre seventeen," Kace said, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"And a half," she replied. "Anyway, Im more trusted than any of you younger kids, but I didn't find anything out, except for the fact that they think theyre closing in on the final Wild Power."

Kace's eyes widened, and my heart constricted at the sight at how beautiful he was. His whole face was a portrait of perfection, from his eyes, to his nose, to his lips… lips that I had kissed…

It was Liz's turn to widen her eyes. "Kace?" she asked, worried. "Is there—"

"Kace? Jessica?" It was Toni.

Kace grabbed my arm and pulled me toward Toni's office.

"Kace?" I asked, trying to pull free of his grip. "Whats wrong?"

"I am in _big_ trouble," Kace muttered.

**a/n: yayayayayay! I know its not much, but its all I could muster up for the moment. Im hoping itll bide you guys over for a little bit until I can write more. I still have to work on my other stories too, my reviewers are getting antsyyyy! But tell me what you guys think so far, give me more characters to throw in, etc, etc. Thanks for all the love!((: **

**Peace!  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**a/n: Welll, this chapter was a lot shorter than I was expecting it to be. Good thing I already have an idea for the next chapter though! It'll probably be up tomorrow if I dont procrastinate too much! You guys should just review and remind me to, just in case I forget!(: **

**annnyway. I'm sorry this took so long. I had this crazy zombie dream and had to write it down and that took up a lot of my time./: but I'm back and have another chapter already writing itself in my head! Lets hope I dont forget it! (which is where you guys come in to remind me..) I'm rambling. Enjoy!**

I tried explaining everything to Toni, but I found I couldn't. As I sat next to Kace in the small loveseat once again to explain myself to the one in charge of this Class, the electricity between Kace and I at this proximity nearly palpable, I found that I could not entrust Toni with everything I knew.

So I lied.

And Kace knew it.

As I was walking out of Toni's office, he pulled me to a stop. His fingers lingered on my arm a moment longer than necessary, and that thought sent butterflies rioting through my stomach. "You're keeping things from the Class," he stated.

"So are you."

He had no reply to that. After a pause he asked, "why?"

"They're not helping me. You are." I shrugged nonchalantly.

"How are you feeling?" Kace asked unexpectedly.

I furrowed my brow. "Fine." I hadn't expected Kace to care. "Why did you send Michael home?"

"He doesn't belong here."

"Neither do I," I replied.

Kace looked exasperated. "But you're part of an investigation," he said, "plus you're not well, and you have nowhere else to go."

Before I could argue any further, someone called Kace's name. Kace sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"Jess," he said, "I need to take care of some business. Go back to your room and get some rest." He turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the dark.

*kace pov*  
I walked into the library, not quite prepared as to what I was about to face. But I knew- from the moment I saw that look in Liz's eyes when she saw what Jess was thinking- I knew.

I casually walked over to the large couch in the library and lay on it, while the other three in the room with me stared openly.

"You've changed," Clane said.

"New shoes," I said in reply.

"No. Ever since that vermin-" Anne started.

"Jessica," I corrected quickly.

Anne raised an eyebrow as if to say _see my point_?

"You've changed since then. We've all noticed it," Clane looked uncomfortable saying this, but had a steady look of determination.

"And I know why," Liz said, stepping up to help her siblings. "Jessica," she said carefully, as if bringing down a huge burden on top of everyone, "is your soulmate."

I sat up now, reflexively. "That is a false and otherwise completely irrational explanation," I said, my tone deathly cold.

"Come on, Kace," Liz said gently. "I saw what she was thinking."

"You can match it with what almost every girl thinks of me," I replied, trying to regain a cool composure- and failing. Miserably.

Liz shook her head. "I guess I can, but what I can't match with those other girls is the look you give those thoughts in return."

"Someone has to tell," Clane said. "It's only fair. To everyone."

Liz looked at her brother, startled. "Clane," she said, shocked.

"Clane, Kace is our brother. You can't betray a brother," Anne said.

Clane's glare was made entirely of acid and ice. "He loves a human," he said slowly, "he has already betrayed us."

My heart contracted at that. Not for my own sake, but for me and Jessica's sake. "You don't understand," I said, my voice more pleading than I meant. "You don't understand that I. Have. No. Choice." I looked at them all helplessly, they all stared back, waiting for something. "It's not fun," I said quietly. "It _kills_ me inside. To know she got stuck with me. It hurts. But _I can't help it_. I wouldn't wish this upon anyone. Just- please," I rasped out, "please, don't tell."

Before any of them could speak though, a new voice filled the room.

"Oh," Toni said from the doorway, watching in silence, "don't worry, there's no need to tell."

*jessica's pov*  
I stared up at the ceiling of my room, unable to find sleep. Whatever Grayes had given me, it worked.

I had taken a much needed shower, and was now laying on the bed in my towel, trying to relax every muscle in my body, especially my brain.

I found myself helplessly thinking about Kace. What was he doing? Where was he? Was he thinking about me?

I turned my head and buried my face into the pillow next to me, trying to drown out my thoughts.

Tap... Tap. Tap.

I lifted my head and looked around. What was that?

Tap. Tap... Tap.

I got off of the bed and tried to find the source of the noise.

Tap.

Somewhere on the other side of the room.

Tap... Tap.

I walked over to the room's window and peered out.

Michael was standing in the yard, a handful of pebbles, looking up at my window. He smiled when he saw me, gestured for me to come join him.

I immediately broke into a grin and turned to put some clothes on.

**a/n: Oh, happy day! Double digit chapters, and Michael came all Romeo-style to rescue Jessica! Nothing could go wrong!... or could it! DUNDUNDUN! I'm rambling again.. **

**Read and review! The next chapter will be up shortly (hopefully!) **

**Peace!(: **


	11. Chapter 11

**an: hello, all. I'm sorry. I havent been on here in so long, and I just decided to read some of my stories for fun and I came across this one and was like "hey, why did I stop writing this, I had it all planned out." But as I was writing this chapter, another thought popped into my head and I was like "ooooh, yeah, twisted plot lets do this!" Im sure you guys dont have any idea what Im talking about right now, but you will, if youre willing to stick around long enough to read whats coming up! I just reread the Night World series for funsies and a brilliant idea for this story popped into my head. So read, enjoy, review if you can! Thanks for sticking around guys, and sorry for the delay. Oh, and happy summer!c:**

The weather was unexpectedly warm today. I sighed as the sunlight touched my skin, the air from the windows stirring my hair.

Michael was quiet, something that was rare. I turned and looked at him. "What's wrong?" I asked.

Michael shook his head, a lazy smile on his lips. "I'm just thinking. I've been doing a lot of that lately."

"Thinking about what?"

"This whole thing. It's crazy... But I know it's true. I know that now."

I sighed, relieved. "That's good to hear."

"But I don't like the way that Kace throws himself all over you," he grumbled, looking ahead of him as we traveled down a back road. The gravel crunching under Michael's tires was the only sound for a moment.

"It's not like I can help it," I finally said.

"Yeah, and it's not like you're doing much to stop it, either."

"It's not my fault-" I cut myself off before I told him that we were soulmates. That would send him over the edge. "It's not my fault that we like each other," I said.

Michael laughed. "From my point of view it looks a little more like you're both obsessively in love."

"And what if we are?" I blurted out. I immediately clapped a hand over my mouth, but Michael had heard.

He slammed on the brakes, the car skidded across gravel before coming to a halt.  
"You _what_?"

** *kace pov***  
Toni paced before me, silent. I sat on the couch holding my head in my hands. This was bad, this was very bad. I sighed.

Toni stopped pacing. "Kace," she said, "I know you have a soft spot for humans. But we work under the Council, not Circle Daybreak."

"So turn me in. Have me killed." _Just leave Jess out of this_, I silently pleaded.

Ever since that first actual contact with her, I felt a connection keeping Jess and I together. Like a silver cord was tugging both of our chests, pulling us together. Now that I thought about it, any contact before that night, I had never actually touched Jess, skin to skin. I would have never guessed that we were each other's...

"This isn't something I am going to take lightly, Kace," Toni said.

Anne came to sit down next to me. "What if he just... Stops? Leaves her alone? Acts like it never happened?"

"That's impossible." I winced as I realized those words came out of my mouth. "As long as there's a chance she could be in danger.."

"Well, there has to be something," Liz said. "Anything."

As if sensing her from very far away, I could feel Jess. I could feel her thoughts in my mind.

_ Kace_.

_Jess?_ I asked. _What is it?_

_This was a bad idea._

***Jess pov***  
"You can't love him."

"Yes," I said calmly, "I can."

"Jess, you can't. He'll kill you."

I sighed. "He's done nothing but save me, Michael." I was getting anxious. The sun was setting and Michael still hadn't moved the car from where he had braked.

He shook his head. "You don't love him," he said. "You love me, Jess, love me."

My eyes widened with surprise. "You have no idea how long I've wanted you to say that," was all I said, though my mind was only screaming one word.

_Kace_.

_ Jess? What is it?_

I could feel him inside of my mind. He was here with me. I closed my eyes. _This was a bad idea._

Michael breathed a sigh of relief. "I love you, Jess."

Though I knew it was silly, my heart skipped a beat. I had been waiting years for Michael to say that.

_Jess?_ Kace asked.

"Michael," I sighed, "I love you, too, but-"

"No buts." Michael reached out and gripped my shoulders tightly. He tightened his grip when I tried to shake free of him.

And then he started to change. His face seemed to ripple, skin morphing.

I screamed.

"I didn't believe you about any of this, Jess. I thought you had gone crazy. And then He found me and turned me into one of them. One of the Night World." Michael's fingernails turned into claws.

"Michael," I breathed.

"I love you, Jess. And I only want what's best for you. And I think- I think we're soulmates." He leaned toward me.

I shrank back. "Michael, we are not soulmates. How do you even know about any of this stuff?" _How are you changing your skin?_I screamed internally.

"Jessica, I love you." He leaned forward more.

Kace growled inside of my head. _Jess, where are you? Tell me now._

_I don't know. Some back road. I wasn't paying atten-_

Michael's lips met mine.

My eyes flew open. Michael was kissing me. Michael, who had always been so careful around me. Michael, who flirted with every girl but me. Michael, whom I had been in love with for my whole life.

Michael, who... Wasn't Kace.

Michael, who now had a forming muzzle instead of a mouth.

I gagged and pushed him away.

"Michael!" I shouted. "I'm not just some girl you can throw yourself on-"

_Careful, Jess._ Kace's voice was tinged with anxiety.

_why?_

_ He's a newborn werewolf. If he gets too upset, he could change and kill you without even knowing it.  
_  
"Oh, Michael." I took a deep breath. "What happened to you?" I could feel his claws digging into my skin, but I kept still, showing no fear.

"I was coming back after those guys kicked me out and he found me and took me to where he lives-"

"Wait," I said, "who is _he_?"

"Consilias. He had me changed into a werewolf, then told me everything about the night world. He told me I was special, and that you were in danger."

"Me?" I asked, my blood turning cold.

Michael nodded. His face had stopped changing. His muzzle had disappeared, though his eyes looked absolutely feral, and his teeth were tapered to points. "He said you had found your soulmate, and the penalty for that is death."

I shook my head. "I know, Michael, but-" but _what?_It was going to be okay? No, the answer was no. I sighed. "I'll be fine, Michael."

"That's right," Michael said. "You will be." he turned the car back on and slammed on the gas.

I spotted a road sign just then, and willed it into Kace's mind. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"Somewhere we wont be interrupted."

I looked at him sharply. "Interrupted from what?"

Michael shrugged. "I guess you'll see."

I tried the doors, they had child lock on them. I stifled a scream. "Tell me," I said firmly.

Michael shrugged again. "I'm going to turn you into a werewolf."

_No!_

I gulped as I realized it was Kace that screamed that, not me.

Michael took one clawed hand off of the steeringwheel and stroked my hair. "It will be okay, you'll see."

I fainted.

**an: Ohhhh, no! Will Jess get turned into a werewolf! I really dont know! You guys should tell me what you think of this story so far, and if you have any ideas, dont be afraid to put them in a review, or you could pm me. As long as I get some love from my readers, Im alright. I have an idea for the next few chappies, but its still pretty fuzzy. Oh, and I was thinking of writing another Night World fanfiction. If youre interested or want me to post it, go ahead and tell me! If you dont care, review for this story anyway!c: **

**anywho, thanks for reading guys! Till next time! Peace!  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**a/n: Immmmmm baaaaaaack! So sorry for the long wait! I seriously have been so busy! No excuses! I owe you all a huge apology! Im sorry./: Anywho, heres the much overdue 12th chappie! Enjoy! **

Claws raking through my hair brought me to, and I bolted upright.

"Finally," Michael breathed. His face had turned to a grotesque mix of the Michael I knew and the monster he had become.

I gulped, trying to keep calm. I could no longer feel Kace in my mind, but I could feel the connection between us pulling, like a string connecting our hearts. I had to stay calm. After all, I was dealing with a newborn ferocious werewolf bent on turning me into a werewolf along with him.

"Michael," I said calmly, "I want to go home. Let's just go back to Headquarters, okay?"

Michael shook his head defiantly. "We don't belong there, Jess."

"Yes, we do. You need help," I said. "I don't know what this Consilias has done to you, but it's messed with your head, Michael."

Michael exhaled sharply. "He told me about the soulmate principle. Now that I'm part of the nightworld, I could be your soulmate." He grabbed my face roughly in his hands and kissed me again. I had to fight back the nausea and the rising violent thoughts of crushing his windpipe and let him kiss me. I had always dreamed about kissing Michael. We did, once, just to see what it would feel like. It was in 5th grade and neither of us were very comfortable with it.

And now that it was finally happening, I just wanted him to stop. When he did pull away I shook my head sadly. "I didnt feel anything, Mike. I know you didn't either."

Michael growled. "Then you leave me no choice," he said sternly.

_Keep him talking_, a voice in my head said. I was too frightened to know whether it was me or Kace.

"What else did Consilias tell you?" I asked. "Did he mention my family?"

Michael sighed. "He might have mentioned them. We can talk about it when we're done turning you."

"We can talk about it _now_, Mike."

"Shut _up_, Jess, and hold still," he commanded as he reached for me.

_Over my dead body!_ I screamed mentally as I smacked his arm away.

Michael growled.

_Careful, Jess_, the voice in my head warned.

I swallowed back the words trying to escape my throat and breathed.

"What exactly did this guy tell you?" I asked as calmly as I could.

Michael sighed. He looked absolutely feral as he stared at me. Like I was a meal, not his best friend. "He told me that you had found your soulmate. I knew that Kace guy was trouble from the start," he muttered. Stupidly, I blushed. "He told me that it was up to me to stop you from falling in love with him. So he turned me and told me what to do."

"Which is what, exactly?"

"Like I said, Jess-" he bared his fangs at me- "hold still."

I turned and kicked at him as he lunged for me. There was hardly any room in his jeep and he was on top of me in and instant. As he snapped at me, I managed to push myself up and back against the door. "Kace!" I screamed in vain.

Michael made one final lunge and I fell backwards out of the car. Too surprised to even scream I huffed as a pair of arms caught me before I hit the ground. Much like the first night I had encountered the Class, I looked up to see Kace holding me, staring ahead of him, watching the scene play out.

"Kace," I breathed.

He looked down at me placidly. "You're an idiot," was all he said. Without another word he hauled me to my feet and dragged me over to a nearby tree.

As Kace looked me over for any bite marks, I watched as Clane and Anne hauled Michael off out of the truck and toward an abandoned barn a few yards away from where he had parked the truck.

"Where are they taking him?" I asked.

Kace said nothing until he seemed satisfied that I had not been infected. "Into the barn for questioning," he replied with no emotion.

I sighed and sat down at the base of the tree. "Don't hurt him," I said.

Kace was silent.

"He was brainwashed," I said quickly. "You can't hurt him, he doesnt know any better."

Kace sighed and shook his head. "Wait here," he said, turning toward the barn.

"Kace," I blurted, "wait."

He turned and looked at me, his face a blank canvas. In that moment I knew that whatever connection that had grown between us was gone.

"Thanks," I said instead. "You've saved me yet again- thanks."

His mouth twitched. "Don't mention it, Jess," he said before walking away.

I felt like crying. No tears came though. I had lost my best friend today, along with my...

"He's your soulmate," someone answered for me.

I whirled to see Liz standing beside where I was sitting. She looked as pretty as ever, and once again I felt insignificant in my jeans and gray cardigan.

"He loves you, more than anything. He can't help it. Neither can you," she went on, staring at me in an absolutely unnerving way.

"Your point?" I asked, irritable.

"Stay away from him. It'll only kill you both if you give in. I don't know you," she said, looking genuinely sad, "but I know Kace, and I know what's good for him and what isn't."

"And inevitably Im poison."

"You don't have to be. But right now you're the worst kind of venom, injected straight into his heart. Don't continue to do this to him." Liz closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry," she said, "and I mean this in the most sincere way, but I hope for Kace's sake that once we find your family, we never see you ever again."

That stung, so deep that it shocked me into silence. I stared at my knee until I heard her walking away. Who was she to tell me who to love? I couldnt help it.

But I'd have to if I wanted Kace happy. I pictured the Kace I had first come to meet. Sarcastic, witty, spontaneous. It seemed that since that first connection between us, I had sucked the life from his eyes.

I found my resolve, then.

**a/n: again, sorry for the wait guys! I still hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though its super short! I'll try writing more as soon as I can! In the meantime, feel free to review!c: peace! **


	13. Chapter 13

**a/n: Hello! And welcome to chapter 13! I hope you guys enjoy this one! Its about to get intense. Yeyeyey! And I have a special announcement in my authors note at the end of this chappie! Wooh! Enjoy! **

I could not sit still. I was pacing back and forth through the kitchen, in front of a door leading down into what seemed to be a cellar. Michael was down there, being questioned. Thoughts of the events leading up to that moment swirled through my head, but all I could do was worry about Michael, pray that he was okay, try by any means to talk to him.

Clane walked into the kitchen just then. I whirled and started toward him. "Clane," I said, "you have to let me see him. I need to talk to him."

Clane recoiled as if I were a leper and furrowed his brow. "You can't. Not until we're done questioning him."

"I have to make sure he's alright, Clane," I pleaded.

"Just let her go. There's no harm in it," came a dark voice from the doorway to the cellar. Both whirled to see Kace standing there. The half moons under his eyes were bruised looking, as if he hadn't been sleeping well. He wasn't looking at me though. His gaze was fixed on Clane.

Clane shook his blond head. "You know the rules, Kace. No vermin allowed." With that he stalked past both of us and down the cellar steps.

Leaving Kace and I alone. I took a deep breath and took a step toward him. I hadn't spoken to him since he found me in the field, and he hadn't made any effort either. "Kace, I-"

But Kace was gone, disappearing down into the cellar where I wasn't allowed. I was shut out once again.

I sighed and sank down to the floor. My life was unraveling in ways I had never expected. I was losing everyone I knew. Everyone I cared for.

Everyone I loved.

Finally I ended up going where I felt the most comfortable, in my temporary bedroom at the Headquarters. I lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking back on everything that had happened since Halloween. More than anything I missed my family. I missed Hugie's wise blue irises. I missed my mothers laugh. I missed Frank's prodding questions. I wanted them all back.

I dozed off and dreamed of Michael. Of a happier time, in the summer. We were sprawled out on a large blanket in my backyard, trying to get a good tan. Our shoulders were only inches apart as he turned his head toward mine and smiled.

"I wish you wouldnt worry about me," Michael said, playfully bumping my shoulder with his.

"Are you kidding? What else would I do with my free time?" I asked.

Michael laughed. "Things change, Jess. You should know that, more than anyone. I wasn't going to just be your plain old Mike forever."

I sighed and looked at the cloudless blue sky above me. "I know, Michael. It's just sometimes I don't want time to move. I want things to stay as they are, I want to stay happy."

Michael leaned up on his elbow to look down on her. "Jessica Renee. Happiness is _not_ just a moment. It's a feeling, it's something you can fall back on when you're in the dark. It doesn't come and go as it pleases, it's always here." He touched the skin over my heart.

It was my turn to laugh. "And the Emmy Award goes to.."

Michael joined the laughter. "I mean it, Jess. Stop being so damn mopey all the time. It isn't you."

I touched his cheek. The sun behind his head cast a sort of halo around his fair hair, his eyes burning bright. "I miss you, Michael," I whispered.

Michael offered a half-smile. "I miss you too, Jessica. More than anything." He sighed. "But you have to wake up now. I love you, Jess."

She came to just as he kissed me, sweet and tender, leaving a ghostly remembrance of fire on my lips as I opened my eyes.

Kace was sitting on a chair by the bed, watching me with intense eyes. I stared back, the setting sun coloring him wonderfully. In this light, I could almost tell that his eyes changed color as they watched me. First blue, then green, and now a firey gold as he leaned forward and said, "He wants to see you."

Still groggy from the sleep, I sat up and whispered "Mike?"

Kace nodded curtly. "He isn't allowed to see you until questioning is over, but I figured since you were saying his name in your sleep you should at least know he wants you too."

I sighed. My hands were limply folded in my lap, my brown hair tangling over my shoulders. I silently prayed I could find a brush. "What else?"

Kace looked puzzled, as if I had just dragged him out of a thought. "What?" he asked.

"What else did you come in here for. I hope it wasn't just to watch me sleep."

Kace raised an eyebrow. "As much fun as watching you swoon over a werewolf in your sleep would be, no. I was asked to find out where you were, and invite you to dinner."

His invitation to dinner only reminded me of the night he took me out. The night we realized we were soulmates. My heart skipped a beat. Our eyes locked again.

Kace sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Jess.." he trailed off.

"Yeah?" I pressed when he trailed off.

He sighed. "Are you going to stare at me all night, or can I go?"

When I didn't answer he pushed himself up from the chair and stalked across the room toward the door.

"Kace," I said.

He stopped at the foot of my bed and looked at me. Though he was scowling, his eyes softened when they met mine. "Yeah?"

I didn't want him to leave. What was I going to say? _Don't go_, I silently pleaded.

But I knew that would just push him away faster. Though I hardly knew Kace, I knew that when it came to showing emotion, he rarely did. Maybe it was because of his adopted human father that he was told he must hate.

"Those girls," I said. "The other day, that gave you their numbers."

He looked wary. "What about them?"

"Did you call them back?" I asked.

He looked surprised and, oddly, hurt. "Call them back? No."

The tension between us was thrumming. I was inevitably drawn closer to him. I leaned forward. "Why not?" I asked quietly.

That seemed to undo him. "Why not?" he repeated incredulously. "Are you serious? Jess, have you taken a look around?"

"You're busy?"

Kace sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Busy trying to stop- with you and-" he was flustered, clearly. He stopped sputtering and looked away. "I should go," he said.

"Kace! Wait!" I hopped out of the bed before I had even known it.

Kace had reached the door. "What?"

"I was wrong," I said.

Kace said nothing, just looked at me to continue.

"I thought I could leave you alone. I thought I could pretend you don't exist. But I can't, Kace."

When Kace still said nothing, I took a deep breath and continued.

"The first day I met you, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I dreamed about you the same night. Even before I knew- I knew we were soulmates," I spit out quickly, "I felt something for you. I know you don't feel affection very often, but I do. For you."

Kace was silent still, he just kept staring at me.

Then, quick as lightning, he was across the room, folding me into his arms. He brought his mouth down on mine hard.

His lips were soft, unyielding, and I was soon kissing him back. We were not inside of each others minds, or maybe we were. The moment was too feverish for me to care.

His arms went around my waist as my fingers tangled in his hair. Gracefully he lifted me into his arms, as if me wrapping my legs around his waist would bring us closer. At the moment, I didn't care. All I could feel, taste, smell, and touch was him. He was everything.

We fell back onto the bed. My heart leapt at the rapid progression, but we didn't stay on the bed long, merely rolled across it to the other side. I was up in his arms once more, our mouths never parting. He pressed me back against the wall and kissed me deeper.

"Say something," I breathed when our lips parted.

"I love you," Kace rasped with a deep need that had my heart aching. I pulled his lips to mine once more.

The door banged open and Michael stumbled in.

Kace immediately let go of me. Too stunned to react, I fell and hit the floor awkwardly.

Mike took in the scene before him with wide eyes. They finally rested on me. "Jess," he said, his voice thick with hurt.

***KACE POV***  
I watched as Mike knelt next to Jessica. He looked terrible, as though he hadnt slept in days. I wasn't entirely sure he had.

Jessica, however, seemed to be glowing with a soft light, as though she was a luminescent source. If the world was suddenly dark, Jess would be all I could see.

She was looking at the werewolf with wide doe eyes. It was a mystery to me how she didn't realize how pretty she really was. "Mike," she said, unmoving. "You're okay, thank-"

"Don't thank anyone," Michael said. "What's going on, Jess? You said you loved me."

That cut through me. I didn't want it to, but it did, like a hot knife, it lashed through my chest. I showed no signs of it on the outside, though. Instead I said, "Indeed you did, Jessica, my dear. Isnt this a pickle."

Jess turned those eyes to me. "Kace," she said, "I didn't mean-"

A held up a hand to stop her. I needed to get out of this room. I had to get away. "No need. If you'll excuse me," I finished as I brushed past them.

Once out in the hall, more hurt hit me. Not the fact that she had told Michael she loved him. Not even the fact that I myself had told her I loved her, and she had said nothing back.

It was that she didn't stop me from leaving.

**a/n: awwwwh! Such hurt! Anywho my mouse battery is dying! So I need to hurry and say this: Im making another NightWorld story. Theyre also with some OCs of mine (I wouldnt want to butcher the awesome characters already made by a great author!) but I will put them in my stories whenever I can! Tell me what you think about all of this! I'll let you know when Ive uploaded my new story! Peace! (and review! Pleases!)c:**


	14. Chapter 14

**a/n: hey, guys! I'm working at my moms office, and its completely empty, so I decided to hack her computer and update this! Im sneaky, sneaky!c; Annnnywho, I didnt have much time to write this, so it probably sucks, but I hope you enjoy anyway! **

"Jess." Michael stumbled toward me as he said my name.

I stepped forward and caught him, shocked. "Michael!" I exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

Michael waved me off as he straightened himself. He had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was a mess. His blue eyes never left mine. "Jessica," he whispered, "he'll kill you."

I merely shook my head.

"You can't be with him," he said, his voice filled with pain. "You can't."

I shook my head once more. "I don't care, Michael."

He sucked in a sharp breath. After a moment he let it out and sank down to the floor.

I joined him, my eyes never leaving him. He looked like he was going to pass out any second.

"You really love him, don't you?" Michael asked.

"Even if I didn't want to, I would."

He shook his head as if he didn't believe it. "That isn't right," he muttered.

"Michael-"

He looked up at me. "He loves you, too. I'm not stupid, or blind. But Jess- he- he'll get you killed. I promised Id keep you safe."

I sighed.

He was on his feet before I could say anything. He put a hand up to stop me from advancing on him. "Don't," he said. "Just don't, Jess." With that, he left the room.

Leaving me alone. Somewhere off in the distance I heard someone calling everyone down for dinner, but I didn't get up. I was exhausted. Not physically, but emotionally. Kace and I were meant to be together, and it would never happen. I saw the look in his eyes before he left the room. The door that had been opened between us was closed once again. And Michael..

I heard the door to the Headquarters slam. Michael was gone. I was alone.

Dinner was awkward as ever. The only noise was the clattering of forks and knives as we ate what seemed to be homemade lasagna. I idly wondered who made it.

I sat in between Grayes and Clane. Clane seemed to be studiously ignoring me, while Grayes hummed an odd tune as he speared bites of lasagna. "The weather seems to be more like spring than winter, though it is december, right?" Grayes asked.

I reached for a roll in the basket in front of me just as Kace did from across the table from me. Our hands touched, and I was dragged under by that horribly strong current. _Get out of my head_, Kace mentally commanded. He jerked his arm away as though I had shocked him. I pulled mine back as well.

"Okay, then," Grayes continued. "How 'bout sports? There was a lovely.. Uh.. Football, was it?"

"Shut up, Grayes," Kace muttered.

Grayes, looking hurt, shut his mouth.

"Don't talk to him like that," I said in his defense. "It's not his fault he wants to eat dinner without moping over his lasagna."

Kace's eyes met mine, dark and powerful, and full of raw emotion. "Don't," he said darkly, "tell me what I can and can not do, Ms. Parks."

"Ms. Parks?" I repeated incredulously.

"Jessica," he said. "Jessica Renee. You are a guest here. I will not have a guest tell me what I can and can not do."

"And since I am a guest, you can't tell me what I can and can not-"

"Why are you a guest here anyway?" he went on, ignoring me. "Isn't it about time you left?"

I rocked back in my chair and stared at him, along with everyone else at the table. "I have nowhere else to go," was all I said.

Kace didn't miss a beat. "Go to your Michaels house. He'll gladly take you in."

"Michael already left. He might not even be home."

Kace shrugged. "You never know." He leaned forward. "But you've worn your time here out. We will continue the investigation and contact you-"

I didn't let him finish, instead, I stood and glared at him. "You, Kason Weston.." I trailed off, not wanting to say anything too rash.

"Yes?" he prodded.

"I'm not your mother. You don't have to run from me. But you are. You're scared. And that's sad." I turned on my heel and darted out of the house before he could say anything to me in return. I could feel his eyes following me the whole way out of the room.

Once out of the house, I continued running. I didnt care how far I got. My phone was long dead; I would find a payphone and dial Michael's number. It was the best I had, even if he hated me as much as I guessed he did.

It started to rain, just then. I stared at the sky. What a cliche. Cold drops hit my face, drenched my hair, through my clothes, and seeped into my bones. I felt like screaming, or crying, or flying away from this awful little town.

Distantly, I heard someone calling my name. "Go away," I muttered, and continued on my way.

But when I turned, I could see them coming after me. Over my dead body would they drag me back so I had to stay with them like I child. I dove into the forestry lining the road and hid until the silver shiny car belonging to the Class drove past me. I could make out the silohuette of Kace in the driver's seat. I ached to see him. I wanted to hit him. Wanted to claw his skin. Wanted to kiss him and never let him go. I took a step toward the open-

until a pair of hands grabbed me and hauled me backwards.

"Michael?" I asked, silently praying it was him.

"Jessica," a smooth voice said in my ear, "it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

I let out half a scream before I was knocked unconcious.

**a/n: ohnoohnoohnoooo! Could this be the infamous Consilias that has captured Jessica? You bet your bottom dollar it is! Its about to get real up in this nightworld universe! Reviews are much appreciated! I love you all! Tootles! Peace! **


	15. Chapter 15

**a/n: hello my lovely readers! Well, I just couldnt drag it out anymore, Im saddened to say that this story is coming to a close.): but if you liked this story, you should mosey on over to my second nightworld story: Forgiven. It isnt a sequel (Im still debating about a sequel to this story), but it's still worth a read! Anyway, back to this story! Enjoy! **

I woke, the cold water dripping at a constant pace on my head giving me a headache. I felt sick and drowsy. I peeled my eyes open and took in my surroundings. My first response was confusion. _What am I doing here?_ I wondered as I pressed my hand flat against the side of the ceramic claw foot tub. It was dirty and rusted, long unused.

I sat up and another surprise hit me: how did I get into a dress? I grabbed the white gossamer gown and examined it. My hands left dirty prints where they touched the fabric.

I looked up, finally. I seemed to be in some sort of wooden shed. The floor was compact dirt, the ceiling was caked with what looked like mold, the wood cracked and worn, letting water from the rain slip in- which would explain why I am still soaked to the bone; my new dress clings to my skin. The lighting was so dim I could hardly see as I gripped the edge of the tub and helped myself out of it.

My heart stopped when I looked around. I was absolutely hidden from the rest of the world.

Where was I?

***Kace POV***

I tightened my hand on the steering wheel as I sped toward Mike's house. It hadnt taken much to find his adress; one quick look at Jess' phone to see it was saved in her contacts.

"You need to calm down," Liz said from the passenger's seat.

I gripped the wheel harder. "You shouldnt tell someone who isnt calm to calm down. It makes things worse."

"Kace," Anne said from the backseat. "We'll find her."

I ignored her. Clane and Anne were my closests friends a short time ago, my partners in stopping crime. Now it was like I hardly knew them. I quickly made a mental note to apologize to them when this whole thing was over. But for now, Jessica was my only priority.

Once we arrived at his house, I hopped out of the car and charged for the front door. There were no cars in the driveway, only his jeep. He seemed home alone.

After three pounds that nearly broke the door down, Mike answered, looking sleepy. When his eyes met mine though, he grew alert.

Only what he had to say was not what I expected.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, looking concerned.

I tried my best to hide my shock and growing anger. Was he playing dumb just to piss me off? "Michael-" I started.

He backed up a step. "Are you here for my brother? Dan isnt here, man, and Im not involved in whatever business he's gotten himself into-"

"Michael," I said again, "it's me. Kace. Do you know where Jessica is?"

Michael looked extremely worried now. "Jess?" he repeated. "She hasnt answered my call in weeks. I thought she was mad at me. Wait- has anything happened to her?" He stepped toward me. "Are you with the police? Has she gone missing?"

I was literally shocked into silence.

"Oh, god," Michael said when I was silent. "I should have checked up on her. I should have known something was up when my room-"

"What happened to your room?" I asked. I wasn't sure what exactly was going on, why Michael was playing stupid.

"My stuff. My phone and some clothes of mine. The parkway drive sweatshirt that Jess got me included. And my cell phone. Someone stole it all."

My phone rang. "This is Kace," I answered, half-tempted to merely hang up and keep Michael talking; something wasnt right.

"Kace," Jessica breathed.

I snapped to attention. "Jess," I said, turning away from the others. "Where are you?"

"I don't know," she whispered. "Some shack in the middle of the woods. It's freezing And I'm wearing a dress."

I knew where she was immediately. "Jess, you need to hide," I said. "I'll come find you."

Jess let out a soft sob. "I can't," she said. "You have to come find me."

The phone connection was fuzzy, I could tell it was cutting out. "Jessica-"

"Please," she whispered and hung up.

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Michael commanded. "Where's Jess?"

In a calm rage, I scooped the handful of silver powder in my pocket it up and threw it into Mike's face.

**Silver powder in a werewolfs face? OUCH! Well, tell me what you guys think. I dont know if I should draw the ending out more or if I should just nail it all in one really long chapter! Tell me what you guys want me to do! And here is the link to my second story, if you care to take a look! Tell me what you guys think!c: .net/s/7627964/1/Forgiven Reviews are much appreciated, as always! Thanks again for reading! Peace! **


	16. Chapter 16

**an: Hello guys! This story is finally starting to wrap up! You're finally going to meet Consilias! What happens next! READ AND FIND OUT! **

**Jess POV**

****I remembered bolting for the door.

It was a stupid decision; I should have known that there would be someone just out of sight, watching me.

Before I made it to the edge of the shack, rough hands grabbed the tops of my arms and threw me back. I landed roughly in the dirt with a pained expelled breath and looked up into the face of my kidnapper.

The first thing I realized was that I had never seen this man before. He looked kindly enough, with a sun-tanned face and graying brown hair. He was wearing a crisp beige suit with a bolo-tie and mud-crusted cow boy boots. His eyes were a lively blue color that crinkled when he smiled.

"Well, howdy," he said in a thick southern accent.

I merely gaped.

"Allow me to introduce myself to ya," he said holding out a hand. "My name is Consilias, at yer service! When I didn't take his hand, he frowned. "Need I remind, ya, little lady, that I am a very powerful person," he said calmly. "I can probably crush the life out of you right now without thinking twice. I'd take the hand offered to ya."

For once, I did as I was told. When I was on my feet facing him, I tugged my hand from his grasp. "Who are you?" I asked. "What did you do with my family? What do you want with them?" As soon as I had opened my mouth, questions started tumbling out. "How did you find us? How do you know us? Is Hugh okay?"

The man merely rolled his eyes. "I think we should take this inside, you look mighty cold."

"What's up with the dress anyway?" I asked, grabbing at the white fabric.

"It looks pretty on you. I don't think I've ever been to one of your dance recitals before," he said.

"Why would you?"

He smiled and opened the door for me. "Why," he said, his blue eyes never leaving mine, "I suppose every father should go to his daughter's recitals. Isn't that the right thing to do?"

**Kace POV**

****There was a time when I would lay awake at night, thinking about the last time I had seen my mother and Andrew together, happy. I would lie awake and torture myself, thinking of ways I could have stopped all of this from happening. Thinking about their smiles, their laughter, would only punch a bigger hole through my chest, but I couldn't stop.

_If they hadn't been caught, where would I be now? _

That thought would always swirl through my head, incessant. Where would I be? Certainly not with the Class. I would probably go to an actual school and have actual friends, maybe a girlfriend to bring home to introduce to my parents.

But recently, those thoughts have been altered.

Instead, I think of Jess.

If my parents had not been caught, I would not have met her. And even thinking about Jess had my heart aching in a way that was unfamiliar to me. This must have been what my parents felt when they were together. A love so strong that they willingly died for it.

And realizing that has opened up a new channel in my life. One that I would carry with me my whole life. I love Jessica, and I would die for her.

I will find her.

**Jess POV**

I stopped dead in my tracks. "You're not-" I began.

Consilias grabbed my arm and hauled me through the door. No matter how much I struggled, though, I could not get out of his grasp. "You really haven't figured it out, have ya?" he asked as we came into a huge underground cavern.

It was hollowed out earth, large enough to where I was astounded at the mere size. Where we were standing at the entrance, there was a group of chairs poised facing the rest of the room. There was a steep slope jarred with rocks and other sharp objects, and then at the bottom there was what looked to be a large stage. There were floodlights positioned to light the stage and a small boom box set off to the side.

Consilias shoved me roughly into a chair and paced in front of me. "I needed a bargaining tool," he said, "to earn your mother's trust. And you were just that."

"What are you talking about?" I said, trying to keep the hysteria out of my voice and failing miserably.

He stopped pacing and looked down at me. "You turned out to be such a lovely girl. I'm sure your dear Kace is missing you terribly."

I said nothing, tried to keep the tremor from becoming too noticeable.

He sighed. "Back when you were still a toddler, I befriended your father. Vile, loathsome, abusive. Trust me when I say you were much better off with me. I did what any gentleman should do when faced with that sort of a man: I slew him."

"When I was a toddler, you killed my dad?" I asked. I shook my head. "That doesn't make sense. I grew up with him."

He knelt in front of my chair. When he smiled, his face changed. I choked back a scream and tried inching away from him, but he grabbed my face and held it. "You grew up," he said, now fully transformed, "with me."

My father's face was staring back at me.

"That's not true," I whispered. "I- I would have known."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Just like you would have known that I was your best friend as well?" His face changed once more and I was now staring into the eyes of Michael. Michael's face smiled. "Your kissing expertise could use some work, by the way."

I almost fainted.

He slapped my cheek to keep me alert. "Don't pass out yet, baby!" said Mike's voice, "You don't want to miss the best part!"

I watched, horror-stricken, as he changed one last time.

My face was staring back at me.

I smiled. "Isn't that a neat little trick?" the other-me said. "Now for the finale!"

I watched as the other-me pulled out a cellphone and dialed a number.

"Kace," the other-me breathed in what was almost a sensual whisper.

"No!" I shouted, moving to get up from the chair. Not Kace. Not him.

"Jess," I heard from the other line. It was Kace, sounding worried and tense. My heart shattered. "Where are you?"

"I don't know," the other-me whispered. She shoved me back into the chair with a strength I know I didn't have and slapped a hand over my mouth to stifle my screams. "Some shack in the middle of the woods. It's freezing and I'm wearing a dress." the other-me made her voice sound so small and damsel-like.

"Jess, you need to hide," I heard Kace say. "I'll come find you."

I screamed at the top of my lungs, all to no avail, "Kace! No!"

The other-me let out a soft cry. "I can't," she said. "You have to come find me." She looked up at me then and gave a wicked wink.

"Jessica-" I heard Kace say, his voice full of longing and a love unmatched by anyone I had ever met. I wanted to cry.

"Please," the other-me whispered and hung up. She turned and looked at me, changing back into the western man once more. "Now," he said, a wicked smile on his face. "How 'bout a little performance for me while we wait for your precious soul-mate to get here?"

**Kace POV**

The idiot human was still batting at the powder on his face. "Hey, man, not cool!" he exclaimed. "What are you, a fairy princess? What is this stuff?"

I merely leveled an unamused look at Clane, Anne, and Liz. "It's obvious that we've been tricked."

Anne was shaking her head. "It would have to be one powerful shifter to do all of this stuff."

"Yes, but who?" Clane asked.

"I don't know, and I don't care. He's dead," I said. "Let's go."

**an: OH NO NOT KACE! Well, till next time guys! I've got some goodies in store for you! I just didn't want to pack too many surprises on you at once! Tell me what you guys think so far in a review! Peace! **


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